Musings of a Fox
by dksculder
Summary: Mulder is an author secretly observing Scully, who is unknowingly the muse of his newest novel. Just what happens when she finds out?
1. Chapter 1

QUANTICO, VA  
DR. SCULLY'S FORENSIC BIOLOGY LECTURE

Fox Mulder sat in the back of the class, waiting for his next muse to light the fire of writing within him. He had heard about the young Forensic Pathologist at Quanitco, and the reputation fascinated him.

He had to meet the enigmatic Dr. Scully.

He watched the students file in and chat amongst themselves as they began to take their seats. He sat in the back, hidden by the shadows, and scanned the room.

As he looked around, he was instantly captivated by the petite redhead in the front of the lecture hall. The rest of the room quieted as she began to settle, and he wondered if she had the same effect on the rest of the room as on him.

He was speechless.

"Hello class, I am Dr. Dana Scully, and this is Forensic Biology," she said. As she spoke, she broke the trance that Mulder was in.

 _'Dr. Dana Scully? Clearly, I didn't do enough research,'_ Mulder thought.

He was even more speechless now. Dr. Scully: 2, Mulder: 0.

For the next 2 hours, Mulder was completely lost in her.

She moved with such a grace, yet radiated confidence. She was closed off, but her passion for what she taught shined through her words. He also noticed her beauty, which was what charmed him the most.

Her warm, auburn hair and bright blue eyes that melted him.

He had found his next muse.

Mulder realized that the class was almost over and had to slip out with the rest of the class. He was there watching her as a favor to him of a friend in the higher ups. He needed motivation for his next book, and someone recommended he take a look into the world of Dr. Scully.

Ideas and stories of this woman came flowing through him. He needed to write them down, and arrange to see her again. He also might have to break his number 1 rule.

 _Rule Number 1: Never get close enough to meet the muse of the story._

It's what made his writing so unique. He wrote novels based on the people he observed, and made them the stars of his 'spooky' worlds.

In the first minute of laying eyes on Dr. Scully, he knew he would definitely be breaking his rule.

* * *

QUANTICO, VA  
OFFICE OF AD DAVIS

"So Mulder, how'd the muse hunting go?" Davis asked.

"I…I think I am definitely interested in staying in Dr. Scully's class a little longer."

"She didn't scare you away? She can be a little…cold. Especially on the first day." Davis muttered.

"Uh, no. She was quite enchanting. I am very interested in continuing to observe her. As you know, I will keep a low profile." Mulder answered, slightly annoyed.

"Of course Mulder, whatever, just stay on your best behavior."

"Don't I always?" Mulder smirked as he left the office.

* * *

ONE MONTH LATER  
SAN DIEGO, CA  
HOME OF BILL AND TARA SCULLY

Dana was on a vacation visiting her older brother, Bill, and enjoying the warm California sun. It was a much needed vacation from her already trying year.

She was young for a teacher, the youngest in her profession, and it sometimes was hard to establish authority. This class was relatively the same as others prior, but ever since the first day, something was definitely different. She couldn't put her finger on it.

The long weekend was very welcomed.

"Dana! You have to read about this new book coming out by M.F. Luder. I'm absolutely obsessed!" Her sister-in-law Tara squealed.

"Is that the guy who writes all the science fiction novels?" Dana asked.

"Yes! He leaked a teaser of a chapter of his upcoming novel, and I'm already hooked. It's about a forensic pathologist. Even a skeptic like yourself might find it interesting." Tara teased.

"Tara, I'm not really into the science fiction genre. The science isn't possible, and the mutants he creates in his mind are just that. They don't really exist." Dana sighed.

"Sounds like you know more about this 'genre' than you're letting on." Tara smirked.

Dana blushed as Tara left the room, dropping the article of the newest M.F. Luder novel in her lap.

It was true, Dana had read some of his previous novels. She found the absurdity of his mutants and alien creatures to be an escape from the scientific, logical life she lead.

She picked up the article and began to read the leaked chapter.

 _Since the colonization, she was the warrior. Not only was she the leader of the humans left on the planet, but she was the connection between those left, and the aliens that invaded. The aliens trusted her. She was part them, part human. She was their queen. It was because she had the alien virus flowing through her petite, pale body. The queen also claimed power with her looks. She was beautiful with her vibrant red hair, and her intense, shining blue eyes. She was as brilliant as she was beautiful. Prior to colonization, she had a background in forensics. She had the tools to save what was left of the world. The Goddess Daniela Skye would lead as she was always destined to do._

As Dana skimmed the chapter, she had this sensation of familiarity flow through her. She felt excited, and her heart began beating faster.

"What the hell?" Dana whispered to herself, completely unaware of just how interesting her life was about to become.


	2. Chapter 2

"What the hell?!"

Dana Scully was completely at a loss for words, and that was definitely a first for her. She didn't know if she was reading into this new teaser chapter, or if she had a legitimate reason to overreact. She knew one thing for sure, sleep was a lost cause for the evening. She needed to get any information she could on the elusive M.F. Luder.

She pulled out her computer and began researching all she could on the famous author. After an hour she let out a frustrated sigh. Sure, there were plenty of sites about where to buy his books, summaries of his novels, and of course, the fan sites completely devoted to the conspiracies of who M.F. Luder really was. Scully found herself immersed in reading any kind of biographical information that had been collected over the years, and she felt like there was a dead end around every turn she took.

As early morning slowly crept up on her, she fell asleep on the couch with her computer sprawled on her and notes that she was taking scattered around. That's exactly how her sister-in-law found her the next morning, and was curious as to what was keeping Dana up all night. Tara quietly moved towards Dana just enough to see what was sprawled on the notes scattered on the table and the floor. She could only make out a few things, but as she read some of the scribbles, a slow smile began to emerge on her face. She made her exit to the kitchen and began making breakfast.

Scully began to rouse at the smell of fresh coffee, and a slight confusion began to run through her mind. Why was she on the couch? As she sluggishly began to put the pieces of her night together, the uneasy feeling came back to her. Tara's voice in the kitchen broke her from her thoughts and she got up to head towards the sound.

"Morning, Dana. Sleep well?" Tara asked, a little too chipper, with a slight amusement to her voice.

"Oh - Morning, Tara. Yeah, I must have fallen asleep on the couch doing resear - uh working on something for class." Dana mumbled as she sniffed the heavenly aroma that filled the cup she cradled between her hands.

"I didn't know that M.F. Luder was part of your required reading..." Tara mused, trying to hide her smile as she sipped her coffee.

"I - I was just curious about that new chapter." Scully said a bit flustered. "You - you didn't notice anything, uh, familiar about the main character?"

"No, I just found the plot absolutely fascinating. I can't wait to read this installment! I heard it was a 3 part series." Tara exclaimed.

Scully sighed, she knew Tara wasn't going to be the help she needed. She also began to wonder if putting herself into the new character of his novels was just her way of slowly losing her mind. Perhaps she just needed to find out who this Luder person was, to put her mind at ease. She was going to have to use the last resource her mind came up with last night, and she wasn't too thrilled about this particular course of action.

She cut her weekend with her brother's family slightly short for a "work emergency" and made her way back to the east coast. After many dead ends of research, Scully felt she had no choice but to use the one resource she felt was her last resort, work. What's the point of working with the FBI if you can't partake in their resources?

It's not that she didn't feel comfortable using channels at work to find answers, she just didn't really have anyone she was close enough to trust. Dana Scully had gained the reputation of being a very closed off professional. She didn't engage with many coworkers, and refused any guy who had gained the courage to ask her out. It wasn't that she had become the "Ice Queen" that people had named her, but she felt like she had to maintain her ground and earn a different kind of respect from her peers.

She called around to a few people that she went through the academy with, and asked them to look into anything that would match M.F. Luder. She now knew it was a pseudonym, so she was willing to take any kind of lead she could possibly grasp. Once Dana had put in her calls, she knew there wasn't much more she could do. She resumed classes the next morning, so she thought she should attempt to get somewhat of a decent night's sleep.

* * *

QUANTICO, VA  
DANA SCULLY'S LECTURE

Mulder assumed his seat in the back of Dr. Scully's class, and began his daily musings of this petite redhead who held every waking thought he possessed. He watched and took mental notes of her movements, her demeanors, and the way she recited her teachings. Something seemed off about his latest muse, as she seemed slightly more distant and on edge. He was curious what caused this changed, but was fascinated to see her in control of the emotions running through her, so evidently in her eyes.

Just as he was lost in his own thoughts about her eyes, he noticed the bright blue, piercing eyes in question staring back at him. He panicked at first, until he came back to his surroundings and realized the student directly in front of him was speaking.

Mulder let out a breath, and slumped slightly lower in his seat, hoping to hide further in the shadows. He almost swore that as another speaker began towards the other end of the class, Dr. Scully's gaze lingered a little longer in his direction. He felt both unnerved and excited by the look in her eyes.

Towards the end of class, Agent Davis snuck in the back of the lecture hall and got Mulder's attention. He motioned to Mulder to follow him out into the hallway. As he exited the class, he noticed a rather amused look bestowed upon Davis' face.

"What's up?" Mulder asked cautiously.

"It looks like your little muse has put her investigative skills to work and has been looking into you at the bureau." Davis' grin grew wider.

Mulder's face paled. This was the closest anyone had ever come to revealing his identity. His pseudonym was how he was able to write the way he did. Sure, he had some intense fans who have been able to uncover little bits and generic pieces of his life, but nothing this profound. He now knew that Dr. Dana Scully would be his undoing in more ways than one.

He was brought from his thoughts by a small chuckle. Mulder's eyes narrowed, "This isn't funny, Davis. What information does she have?"

"The only thing she was able to get was an address off of one of your checks. I'm assuming it's just a publisher's address?" He smiled. "You may have met your match, Mulder."

"You have no idea." Mulder couldn't help but smile at what information was given to Dr. Scully. If she was as curious as he had her pegged for, she would want to at least check it out, and boy was she in for a surprise.

Dana's classes could not be over soon enough. She came back from her weekend revelations with an uneasy feeling. She didn't know if she was just overreacting, but she had a feeling of being watched. During her classes, she activated her best investigative eye and really examined her class. She watched for those who gave her their undivided attention. She noticed a few that stuck out to her, and one specifically who slumped in the shadows in the back of her lecture hall.

He was older than her regular students, though not by much, but there was a definite distinction to him. If Dana allowed herself, she may even say that he was attractive. She would be keeping her eye on him for more than one reason, although she would never admit it.

Between classes she had finally received a call about her inquiries into M.F. Luder.

An address.

She had some piece of information, perhaps the only piece, that could possibly lead her to answers and finally put her mind to rest. She was curious, so she would stake the place out on her way home.

She had been waiting all day to leave, and uncharacteristically ended her last class a little short. She made her way to the address that she had scribbled down, and was parked outside across the street.

Dana took in her surroundings, and the uneasy feeling slowly began to return. It was in a sketchy neighborhood, broken down to say it nicely, and the only thing she could see across the street was an old building. Curiosity won over the apprehensions she held, and she made her way across the street.

She knocked on the old building door, and heard what sounded like a camera moving to view her in the doorway. She looked down and realized she looked like she was dressed like a fed, having just come from work. She didn't know what she was getting herself into, but she needed answers more than anything, so she put some reassurance to whoever was watching her from behind the door.

"Hi, uh, I am Dr. Dana Scully, I'm a professor. I - I just have a few questions. I got this address from a - a friend." She managed to stutter out, feeling ridiculous for standing in an unfamiliar place, talking to a door. Just as she was beginning to lose hope from the lack of answer, she heard locks being disengaged.

Dana began to feel a flutter of excitement and fear in her stomach as the door slowly opened. She was going to hopefully get the answers that her mind had been asking all weekend, and she didn't know which answer she wanted. Just as she was being brought from her thoughts, she noticed a short, stout man with glasses standing before her. She was almost hoping for the attractive man who hid in the shadows of her class, and frowned slightly.

"The Lone Gunmen, I'm Frohike." He spoke cautiously. "And what might I help the delectable Dr. Scully with?" He grinned at her.


	3. Chapter 3

Scully entered the lair of The Lone Gunmen and felt like she walked into a rather large electrical closet. There were computers and gadgets strewn everywhere. She entered cautiously, following the short one named "Frohike" as they entered further into the building. It was in what she assumed to be the main room that she came to meet the blonde one named Langly. He seemed just as odd as the short one, and Scully immediately thought it was all some sick joke. She was put somewhat at ease when another man came from a back room, dressed in a casual suit, and introduced himself in a sincere, formal matter.

"Hi, I'm John Byers. I see you've already met Langly and Frohike. What is it that we can help you with?" he asked.

"Uh, I'm not really sure actually. I didn't mean to intrude, and I honestly don't know why I'm here. I got your address, from - from a friend." Scully stuttered out.

Byers looked at her quizzically, as the other two just stared at her. "You must excuse us for the confusion and the stares," Byers glanced towards the other two, "we don't get many visitors here. We stay pretty well hidden for obvious reasons, and are just wondering how you found us."

"Obvious reasons?" Now Scully returned the quizzical look.

"Well, we publish our magazine, which has a lot to do with...government conspiracies, events in the paranormal, things along those lines. So you can see why we like to stay masked behind the computer." He explained calmly.

Scully sat in their old building, her thoughts going a mile a minute. It would make sense, given the nature of the genre of M.F. Luder novels, but she couldn't imagine one of these three being the man himself. A slight frown of disappointment ran across her face, given that the man who sat in the shadows of her class wasn't one of these goons standing before her. She was almost sure he had something to do with this whole ordeal. Maybe her investigative skills were a little rustier than she thought.

"I can see you're disappointed. Were we not what you were looking for?" Byers asked, with a shy smile on his lips.

Scully jumped slightly, not realizing she was lost in her thoughts. "What? No, sorry. I - I honestly don't know what, or who I'm looking for. To be honest, I'm even more confused than I was before coming here." She let out a deep sigh.

"I recently read a teaser chapter for the newest M.F. Luder and the main character of the novel was eerily familiar to me. I felt like I was reading about some alternate version of myself, and I was instantly intrigued. I really just wanted answers to see if I was in fact going crazy like I'm beginning to think I am, or if it's just a huge coincidence. I - I'm a professor at Quantico, so I work for the FBI. Don't worry, I don't care about anything you're doing here, but it is what led me here. I was so curious, I put in an inquiry into Luder, any little grasp of something I could get. One of the searches led to a paycheck with this address on it. I figured this was my best place to start." Scully let out in one breath.

She didn't mean to just lose it, but her patience was running thin, and her thoughts were driving her insane. She finally looked up, slightly embarrassed by her outburst, and noticed the grins on the faces of all three of her hosts.

Their smiles hid the secrets that she could see in her eyes, and the uneasy feeling came creeping back to her.

"You're here about M.F. Luder? You're the first to get this close, I'm impressed and even slightly more turned on." Frohike grinned at her.

"Melvin, please don't creep out our guest. I apologize for him, really, he's mostly harmless." Byers assured her, still with the slight grin on his face.

"Are any of you going to tell me anything about M.F. Luder? You obviously know something." Scully's eyebrow began to arch.

"Well, I can assure you that we know who he is, and that none of us are him. Anything else, we would have to get permission from the man himself to tell you." Byers explained.

Scully was frustrated. She just wanted answers, and she knew she was so close to getting them. She just had to play her cards perfectly and very carefully to get the answers to hopefully put her mind at ease. "Okay, I understand. I will wait here while you get that permission." She challenged, with authority, as she sat on their couch.

The three men just looked at each other dumbfounded, unsure of what to do in that moment. They could tell, that if she was in fact Mulder's newest muse that he wouldn't stop talking about for the past 4 weeks, she wasn't going anywhere. They knew then and there that Dr. Dana Scully was going to put up a fight, and they weren't going to win this battle. Frohike extracted himself from the room to call Mulder.

* * *

FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT

Mulder was sitting alone in his apartment, completely disconnected from the world, lost in his own mind and writing up a storm. He would find these moments of inspiration, and once he began he could never stop. The story, the characters, they would come flooding out of him and were frantically typed up into his newest story.

Dana Scully had been the muse he always needed. This was his best novel yet. At least that's what everyone had been telling him.

He didn't know what it was about her that was so captivating, but he couldn't stop. He was addicted. Mulder knew there was so much more to express about this exquisite woman than he could ever capture in a 3 part series. His mind was going into overdrive and he had completely blocked out the phone ringing in the background.

It wasn't until he heard Frohike's voice on his answering machine that he was broken from his trance.

 _"Mulder, answer the damn phone. We have a code red. A HOT code red, if I might say. If you don't answer this phone I'm going to have to tell your little redheaded muse all of your dirty little secrets. I might start with that video collec-"_

"What the hell do you want, Frohike?" Mulder growled into the phone, completely annoyed to be broken from his writing.

"Well it's nice to talk to you, too, sunshine. Your newest interest is currently sitting on our couch, asking questions about you. I'm a little hurt you've been holding out, Mulder. She's hot." Frohike responded.

Mulder couldn't help but smile to himself. "I figured she'd be there eventually. I had a heads up she was looking into some things."

"Well a warning would have been nice. What do we tell her? I don't think she's leaving without some answers." Frohike glanced back towards the main room.

"But it's so much more fun to let you experience her first hand." Mulder chuckled, he guessed just what a spitfire Dana Scully could be, and he knew the boys were in for a long night. She would eat them alive.

If Mulder had gathered anything about Dana Scully in the past few weeks, it was that she loved a challenge. She rose to anything that she found herself faced with, and was even more fascinated if it was a puzzle. He could tell that she liked her control, but there was always a sense of intrigue in her eyes that made him believe she loved the thrill of a new adventure.

Mulder knew exactly how to handle this situation.

"Alright, you can tell her things, anything she wants to know. But, she can only ask yes or no questions." Mulder smiled to himself, he knew she would be satisfied with having some answers, but the one answer that couldn't be answered with a yes or no question would drive her absolutely crazy.

His name.

"Alright boss, whatever you say. But if she beats us up for your name, I'm going to kick your ass. I think she's got a gun, actually that's kinda hot." Frohike mumbled just before he disconnected the call.

Mulder chuckled to himself and quickly got dressed. He grabbed his keys and ran out the door.

* * *

THE LONE GUNMEN'S BUILDING

Frohike reentered the main room, and saw Byers and Langly sheepishly standing before a very skeptical Dana Scully. She was sitting on the couch, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. She was waiting for her answers.

"Alright, the boss man said you can have your answers. But, you can only ask yes or no questions. Anything you want to know m'lady." Frohike leered at Scully.

Scully felt like she was being challenged. The elusive M.F. Luder was going to give her answers, but only if she played by his rules. Well, Dana Scully was always one to follow the rules, but she also never backed down from a challenge.

She had to ask the right questions, to get exactly the answers she wanted.

She smiled to herself, she knew exactly what to do.

"Okay, so answer me this. Am I the muse of the newest M.F. Luder novel?" Scully asked in an innocent voice.

"Yes." Frohike answered quickly.

"Thank you, that's all I wanted to know." Scully began to stand and gather her purse. She began to move towards the exit as if she was leaving.

"What? That's the only question you had?" Byers asked incredulously.

"Mulder gave her free reign and that's all she asks? That's lame." Langly mumbled.

"Tell me about it, I was hoping to spill more of Mulder's secrets." Frohike mumbled in response.

Just before Scully reached the door, she turned slowly, with a sly smile on her face.

"Mulder, huh?"

She almost laughed at how quickly the color from all three of their faces drained at once. She stared back into three very guilty looking, wide-eyed faces and just smiled. "Again, thank you. It was nice meeting all of you." She said just before she made her exit.

As she walked out of the old building, she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. She rose to this challenge, and won. There was simply no other option. She was embracing the moment of self pride, and didn't notice the man standing directly outside of the door. She bumped right into his back, as he was facing away from her.

"Oh I'm so sorr-" She began to apologize, before the man turned around and she was at a loss for words by the warm, familiar eyes staring back at her.

"I guess I should be the one apologizing. It's nice to finally officially meet you, Dr. Dana Scully." He sheepishly held out his hand to her.

She just stared back at him, adrenaline surging inside of her. She was still on a high for outsmarting the three stooges, and now she was face to face with no other than "Mulder, I presume?"


	4. Chapter 4

"I guess I should be the one apologizing. It's nice to finally officially meet you, Dr. Dana Scully." He sheepishly held out his hand to her.

She just stared back at him, adrenaline surging inside of her. She was still on a high for outsmarting the three stooges, and now she was face to face with no other than "Mulder, I presume?"

Mulder's eyes widened in surprise. He couldn't believe the boys would just give him away like that. Dana Scully was surprising him by the minute.

She noticed the surprised look on his face and let out a small chuckle. "You look just like your friends inside. Don't worry, they didn't give you up as easily as you're thinking. I'm just that good." She grinned at him.

Mulder was now even more impressed that she was able to read him so well. He was always accustomed to hiding in the shadows, and playing off his mysterious persona. He knew he had met his mental match, and that the petite redhead standing before him was going to make him put up a giant effort, but he was willing to rise to that challenge.

"Are you going to say anything, or are you going to just stare at me like you do in my classes?" Scully asked as her eyebrow rose.

Mulder smiled shyly at her and ran a hand through his hair. "Gee, Dr. Scully, I didn't know you liked watching me as much as I like watching you."

Color rose to Dana's cheeks and she lowered her head slightly. She had to admit, the man standing before her was even more attractive up close. She had only caught glimpses of him sitting in the shadows of her class, and never wanted her gaze to linger too long in his direction. But as she lifted her head to look up into his eyes, she noticed how warm and oddly comforting they were to her. She should be completely freaked out that this man had been watching her, but she wasn't in the slightest. If she had to admit, she was excitingly flattered.

"In your dreams, or should I say, in your book's fantasies?" Dana smiled at him.

Mulder put his hand to his chest, pretending to be hurt by her words. "My books would be so lucky! Now that you've revealed the man behind the curtain, would you be interested in joining me in a late dinner?"

She had to admit that she was captivated already by this man, and wanted to know more about why he chose her as the muse to his next book. She had already concluded that he liked to challenge her just as much as she did him, and knew that would make for an interesting evening. It was an offer she simply couldn't refuse, plus, she was starving.

"Sure, I'd love to get to know more about the great and powerful Mulder." She smiled at him, feeling her sense of pride creep back to her because she was able to match a response to his earlier reference.

Mulder grinned back at her response and knew he was in for an eventful night. Maybe everyone was right, maybe he had met his match in Dr. Dana Scully. He held out his hand towards the main street, gesturing for her to lead up the stairs, away from the building. He followed, placing his hand on her lower back as he moved her towards his car.

He took her to an Italian restaurant he was familiar with that was down a few blocks. It was quiet enough for them to talk, but not so secluded that she would run screaming for the hills. As they were seated at their table, they both looked at each other and smiled shyly. They both wanted this evening to turn out well, and they were doing a good job of trying to contain the excitement and intrigue running through them.

"This place looks amazing, I take it you've been here before?" Scully asked as she looked around and then down at the menu.

"Yes, uh, I've been here once or twice." Mulder mumbled, completely forgetting that this place was familiar because his ex's family owned it. It was the first place he thought of, considering the area they were in. He now felt foolish bringing her here, but relaxed a little as he glanced around and didn't recognize much of the staff.

She noticed the uncertainty in his voice and looked up from her menu, "So there's a story to tell about is place?" she grinned as the arch to her eyebrow began to rise.

Mulder mentally scolded himself for not being on his game. Then he had to laugh in his head, he didn't know when the last time he even had to be on his 'game' was, since he hadn't really dated anyone since he career took off 8 years ago. Date? He didn't even know what this was. He was in a world of confusion, dining with his latest muse, something he never imagined he would do. He was terrified of how this would turn out, but he couldn't think of anywhere else he wanted to be.

He smiled at her, "Yeah, there's definitely some kind of story to tell. But nothing that you will get out of me that easily." He looked at her as he took a sip of his water, challenge created.

She stared back at him, holding his gaze. She knew she was being challenged, and she was ready to win this battle of wit.

"So then tell me, what do I have to do to get any kind of story out of you? I mean, other than the ones you create in your head." She grinned back at him.

"Well, we can do what normal people do on a date, and engage in these things called conversations."

"Is this a date?"

"Uh, I didn't mean - I just meant." Shit, he didn't mean to slip up and call it a date. He was just trying to be clever. So much for that.

She giggled at how flustered he became. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. Truth is, I don't really socialize with many people in my personal time. So whether it's a date or not, I'm just happy have a night out." She assured him.

He relaxed at her words, "Why is it that you don't go out much? I mean, you're beautiful and brilliant. I can't imagine there's not a line of guys waiting to have an evening with Dr. Dana Scully."

Color rose to her cheeks again. Damn, she's always been able to keep her composure, but he was undoing her slowly. She took a sip of wine and nodded. "Yes, I've had many invitations, but none that I've accepted. Lucky you."

She could tell that he was uncomfortable with positive feedback of any kind, and would instantly shy away at her comments of praise towards him. She didn't mean to make him feel shy, but she was just playing his game.

"Yes, lucky me indeed. I'm glad you accepted. I want to know more about you."

"You mean more than what you have obtained from watching me for the past month?"

Mulder chuckled. "Yeah, more than that."

Just as Mulder was about to ask her a question, an older waitress came over to take their order. She stopped as she spotted the familiar man sitting at a table with a tiny redhead. "Fox?! My god it is you! I haven't seen you in years! How have you been?" Sofia exclaimed.

"Sofia! I - I didn't know you were here, I would have said hi. I'm great how are you?" Mulder stammered out.

"Oh you know, same ol' same ol.' We've missed you around here! But I see you're doing well." She looked him up and down, and then glanced towards Dana.

"I'm sorry, this is D - uh, Scully." Mulder mumbled. He smiled apologetically at Scully and she just nodded in understanding. She shook hands with the woman. Sofia lingered a little longer, then eventually took their order and left.

"Oh, yeah, I'd definitely say there was a story here." Scully grinned back at him.

"I'm so sorry. I honestly didn't think any of the immediate family was here. I, uh, also didn't mean to not say your name. You have to understand, people don't normally associate the main characters of my books with any real people. The character that's based on you also has a similar name to yours, and the less pieces people have to put together the better. I didn't mean to disregard you in anyway I just-" Mulder stopped from just spewing out his words sporadically as her hand came to cover his on the table. He looked down at their hands and smiled.

"Relax, Mulder. I do understand that you have your pseudonym for work, and I wouldn't dare try to do anything to jeopardize your writing. Besides, I kind of liked just being called Scully. It has a nice ring to it, and no one else calls me that without the professional 'Dr.' in front of it." She smiled at him assuringly.

"I do have one question for you though." She continued.

"Sure, anything."

"Fox?"

Mulder winced at the mention of his first name. Before his career took off, he had removed the mention of his first name from his life. He was only known now as M.F. Luder or Mulder. It was almost his way of breaking away from his past.

"I'd love to tell you some sob story about how my parents have a sick sense of humor, but it's really just an unfortunate family name. Everyone just sticks with the last name, as I requested." Mulder explained with a small smile.

"And your pseudonym?" Scully asked.

"Nuh uh, question for question. It's my turn now." Mulder flashed her a wide grin, which caused Scully's eyes to widen slightly. "Why forensic pathology?"

Scully let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and relaxed. She didn't talk about herself much with anyone, and she was scared he was going to come out swinging with the big questions.

"I really don't know. It was part of my rotation during my residency and I just loved the puzzle of it. I was fascinated by having to solve what the cause of death was, and bring some justice and peace for these people and their families. I like to help in any way that I can, and I found that this particular field held such a high honor." She explained, slightly embarrassed by the intensity of the gaze Mulder was bestowing upon her.

"Do you get to help on active cases occasionally as well?" Mulder followed up.

"Hey! It's my turn for a question. One at a time Mulder." She teased.

They spent the evening bouncing questions back and forth that they completely lost track of time. They realized that the restaurant was closing and they would have to make their exit soon, but neither wanted this evening to end.

As Mulder steered her to the car with his hand lightly placed on the small of her back, she stopped and turned abruptly, facing him.

"Look, I don't normally do this, but I actually had a really nice night tonight. I know we joked that this wasn't a date, and I don't even know if it was..." She paused, waiting for a signal from him.

As he nodded slowly, she continued "Good, well, I would love to get a chance to see you again." Scully finished, completely embarrassed by her confession and lowering her head to her chest so he couldn't see the red coloring rising in her cheeks.

He lifted her chin with his fingers so that her face met his. At that moment, Mulder could see every emotion passing through her bright blue eyes and leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. She smiled and opened her eyes again to meet his.

"I would love nothing more than to spend another evening with you, Scully." Mulder whispered.

She couldn't stop smiling as she moved away from him to get in the car.

He drove her back to her car and they parted ways. Both of them were completely lost in their own world over the evening they just had, neither of noticed the car that followed them from the restaurant...and then continued to follow Scully home.


	5. Chapter 5

DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT  
OUTSIDE

He parked just across the street of her apartment after following her home. If his suspicions were correct, this had to be the woman he's been looking for since he read the teased chapter of the M.F. Luder novel.

He was an avid fan, and dedicated most of his time researching the truths that came from the novels, or so he believed them to be truths. He belonged to many UFO groups and researched the medical history of past abduction cases.

This was more than just a hobby for him, it was his life. It became his personal quest because he believed that he had been abducted once before.

He invested so much time into his cause, and believed that M.F. Luder knew more than just what was written in his novels. He knew that he had to write under a pseudonym so that people wouldn't uncover the actuality of his stories.

Duane Barry now also knew that the time for colonization was coming, and that this redheaded doctor was going to be the one to save them all, just as the author had written to be true. He would take the key to ensuring his future, but first he had to be sure.

He sat in his car and stared towards her apartment. He had to plan this right, to make sure that they would both help him. He knew that Luder would have the knowledge of the aliens, and that the doctor would bring the science to find the cure.

Barry sat in his world of madness that only made sense to him, and planned his next move on Dana Scully.

* * *

DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT  
INSIDE

Scully had just gotten home from her evening with Mulder, and was completely in a world of amazement. She honestly didn't know how this man was able to make her feel this way in only hours of knowing him, but she knew she was hooked. She would never admit to that of course, since that wasn't like her, and that resolve would help her keep some part of her identity.

She was confused, excited and anxious to see what this complex, somewhat mysterious man would bring to her life. She sighed with a small smile of wonder on her face as she settled in for the rest of her evening.

She began to unwind and noticed she had several new voicemails. She found it rather amusing that the one night she decided to have a life, everyone needed to get a hold of her. She got comfortable on her couch as her machine began to play the messages.

 _Hello Dana, it's mom. You must be working late or something, just call me when you get in so we can talk about lunch this weekend. Love you._

Scully rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself at the fact that her mom would assume the only reason she wasn't home is because of work. Oh if she only knew, she would be planning the wedding already.

 _Hello, this message is for Dr. Dana Scully. This is Assistant Director Walter Skinner, I am calling because we need your assistance on a current case. Your name was referred to us as a consult, and we could use your expertise. Please call my office so we can set up a meeting and I can further brief you. It is a current case that we are assisting on in California, and you would need to join the team as soon as possible. I apologize for the last minute notice, we have hit a dead end and hope that you can help us close this case. Looking forward to meeting with you soon._

Scully let out a heavy sigh and replayed the message to get the contact information. It wasn't often that she was called in as a consult, but she offered up the opportunity of her services when she began teaching at Quantico. It was even rarer for them to send her out of town. She hoped she wouldn't be gone long, never knowing how long active cases can take to wrap up. She did have an assistant who could cover her classes, but she realized that wasn't the biggest disappointment of having to leave town so quickly.

She actually pondered on the fact that she would miss not having the opportunity to see Mulder as soon as she would have liked. He hadn't exactly set a date for their next evening together, but she had a feeling that he wanted it to be soon as well. A slight frown was beginning to cross her face until the next message began to play.

 _Hey Scully, it's me, Mulder. I was just calling to make sure you got home okay, and uh, was hoping to see what you were doing this weekend. I know it's a little last minute, and maybe slightly desperate on my end to ask you out again so soon. I just really liked spending time with you and uh, I mean if you're not busy. You know, if you don't have plans already. Uh, just call me back and let me know, or you know, if you can't, too. Just - just call me back. Goodnight._

Her frown instantly changed to a full grin as she listened to his nervous ramblings on her answering machine. His nervousness around her was actually endearing and it made her like him just that much more.

She looked at her clock and saw that it was close to midnight. She figured it was too late to call him at this hour, and she wanted to find out more about when she had to leave for California before she gave him any answers. She also had to call her mother back and move those lunch plans to another weekend, after she got back. Everything would have to wait until tomorrow after her meeting with AD Skinner.

She laid in bed, completely exhausted from her day, but with a new feel of excitement still running through her. She drifted off to a much needed deep sleep with a smile of content on her face.

* * *

QUANTICO, VA  
DANA SCULLY'S OFFICE

Scully managed to get an early morning meeting with AD Skinner to get all the details on her assignment. It was a gruesome string of murders, all young woman, definitely a serial killer based on the profile. She was asked to help find anything else that could pinpoint his MO and help the Criminal Investigative Division close in on the perp.

She had already planned for a flight later that evening and made arrangements to stay at her brother Bill's house, since she would be heading right back to San Diego. He had been sent out on his military assignment again for another 6 months shortly after she paid him a visit just last week. She would be staying with Tara until she closed up on the case.

Scully already called her mom and changed their lunch plans tentatively to whenever she got back. She didn't tell her mom where she was last night when she asked, just that she was out. She knew it made her mom suspicious, she could hear it in her voice, but she wasn't ready to let anyone in her little sanctuary of bliss, no matter how brief it may be.

She needed a break, she had been setting a lecture plan for her assistant to follow since she got back from her meeting this morning. She realized she worked straight through lunch and was now starving.

On a moment of impulse she picked up her phone and began dialing a number.

"Mulder."

"Hey, it's me, Scully." She smiled into the phone nervously.

"Scully! To what do I owe the pleasure?" He said smiling back at her.

"I got your message last night, sorry it was late before I checked them and didn't want to call back at that time."

"You can call me anytime, Scully. I stay up late." Mulder teased, with an almost sultry tone to his voice.

"Well that's good to know for future reference." She threw back at him in the same tone of voice.

She almost swore she heard him gulp through the phone, and loved that she had that kind of effect on him. "Mulder, you there?" She asked with a sly grin on her face.

"What? Yeah, sorry, I'm here. So, what did you think of my proposition for this weekend?"

"Well I would love to take you up on it, however I've been called in on a consult for an active case...in California. I have to leave tonight and I'm never sure how long it will take to wrap things up." She said, trying to mask the slight disappointment in her voice.

"You know, I've heard many excuses to refuse a date, but fleeing to the other side of the country for an unknown amount of time is definitely a new one for me. Gonna have to add it to the books." He joked in response, showing his understanding of her work.

She chuckled at his light-hearted humor. It had been a long time since someone could make her smile the way that he did. It seemed so easy to just have a casual conversation with him. "I was actually calling to see if you would like to join me for lunch. I know it's probably not the date you were hoping for but-"

Before she could finish, he cut her off by quickly agreeing. She picked a cafe near Quantico and planned to meet him in 20 minutes.

She had a smile on her face that just wouldn't leave, and she started to feel like she didn't want it to. These feelings were new to her, and she didn't know how to really handle them, especially at work. She always held her professional persona, stern and serious as it was. Dana "Ice Queen" Scully with a smile on her face would definitely raise some interesting questions, she mused. As she finished organizing her desk and began to gather her things, she was stopped at the door by AD Davis.

"Dr. Scully, AD Skinner just filled me in on your current assignment. Do you have everything set up for your assistant to take over your class while you're gone?" He asked.

"Oh, hello sir, yes it's pretty much all done. I just have a few finishing touches, but I let him know that I would email him any new additions as well." She said, moving towards the door to make it slightly more obvious that she was on her way out.

"Perfect, it sounds like you'll have your hands full with this one, so let me know if you need any further assistance to hold things down here." He responded. He could tell she was getting anxious to leave, but he was too intrigued to find out more about what put a smile on the stoic Dr. Scully's face. She didn't notice him standing at her open office door before he entered, and he secretly saw the giddy grin on her face that she was trying so hard to hide. He thought he would bask in his moment.

"I definitely will, sir, thank you." She answered, slightly rushed.

"Were you on your way out Dr. Scully?" He asked in almost a mocking tone.

"Uh, yes actually. I worked through most of my day so I'm meeting a friend for a late lunch." She answered, with her head down, and a faint rise of color to her cheeks.

He grinned at her with amusement and finally bid his farewells. He knew there was something going on, but figured he had had his fun for today.

Scully rushed out of her office to the cafe to meet Mulder.

* * *

CAFE

Mulder had arrived and didn't see her when he walked in, so he situated himself in a booth towards the back. A few moments later Scully made her brisk entrance and began to look around as she shrugged off her coat. In the minute moment that she didn't notice him, Mulder was able to capture just how beautiful she was in her candid moment. His gaze was caught by hers and she made her way over to him with a shy curve beginning on her lips.

"Hey, so nice of you to finally join me." Mulder teased.

"I'm so sorry, I was held up by my boss, it's almost like he knew I had somewhere to go and was deliberately keeping me there." She said with a roll to her eyes.

Mulder began to chuckle. "I was just messing with you, you're right on time. I'm glad we are able to see each other before you leave."

"I'm sure my absence in these last 20 hours that you haven't seen me have just been excruciating for you." Scully taunted.

"Aw, Scully. I didn't think you cared enough to know exactly how long it's been since you've seen me last." Mulder played right back at her, noticing the color rise to her cheeks. He loved catching her off guard and making her blush in their little mental game they played with each other, it made her even more beautiful.

"Don't flatter yourself there too much, Mulder. I don't think your ego can take it." She bantered back.

They finally ordered their food and were discussing her plans for San Diego.

"I'll be staying with my sister-in-law, Tara. She's already feeling lonely and my brother has only been gone for less than a week, so she's happy to have the company." She paused, as she brought her iced tea cup to her lips. "She's, uh, actually a huge fan of yours."

"Well it's nice to know someone in the Scully family has a good head on their shoulders." Mulder said with a nod.

"She doesn't count, she was married in." Scully shot back.

Mulder chuckled and shook his head, he would never win a battle of the wits with Dana Scully, but he would damn well go down fighting.

They finished their lunch and began to gather their things. He led her outside with his hand placed, on what she now considered his spot, on the small of her back. It was baffling to them both how comfortable it felt to talk to each other and be together, given they only really met less than a day ago.

"I will try to call you, if you want, while I'm gone. I don't know how hectic the case load is going to be, but I'd still like to keep in touch while I'm there." Scully said as she lowered her head shyly.

"Please do, I would love to talk to you, too. Call me anytime, really. I wasn't totally kidding earlier. I'm, uh, I don't sleep as much as I probably should." Mulder answered with a slight laugh of amusement to himself.

"Great, I definitely will. I should be heading back though, I have some lessons to finish writing up for the week, and then I still need to pack." Scully said, slightly disappointed that her time with Mulder was so short today.

"Oh! Before you go, I have something for you." He said with a secretive smile.

She waited and watched as he ran to his car, pulling something out of the trunk. When he returned, he was holding what looked like a book in his hands. He opened it, and pulled out a pen from his pocket. He scribbled something on the inside of the front cover and closed it again, handing the book to her.

"What's this?" She asked with a questionable look on her face.

"That, is hopefully my first gold star in the Scully family. It's, uh, an advanced author's copy of my newest book. It doesn't have any of the official artwork on it yet, but the story is just the same. It's set to be officially released in about a month, just finalizing some things." He answered sheepishly.

Scully opened the book to read his inscription.

 _Tara,_

 _Thanks for believing in the unknown._  
 _The truth is out there._

 _M.F. Luder_

She smiled to herself as she read the inside cover. Only Mulder could inscribe something that was so - him.

"What? I don't get my own copy of the book based on me?" She asked as her eyebrow began to arch.

"Character based on you, let's not let it go to your head, Scully. And maybe if you're nice, Tara will share." Mulder teased.

She chuckled. "Really though, this was very sweet, Mulder. You didn't have to do this."

"I know, but when you said she was a fan, I figured this was my chance to weasel my way into your family's good graces."

"I don't think that will be an issue." She mumbled.

"Well, as much as I would love to stand here with you all day, you should get going, don't want to be late for a nice airplane dinner."

Scully grimaced. "I think I'll just stick with the peanuts."

He laughed and took a step closer. She looked up at him, into his warm, hazel eyes.

She stretched up towards his face and placed a light kiss on his lips. "I'll call you." She turned quickly and got in her car, leaving him standing there with a mesmerized look on his face.

Scully looked in her rearview mirror at the man that she left standing in a daze. She smiled to herself, realizing the small, unspoken promises that were made between them. She couldn't wait to hear his voice when she called him after she landed.

A few hours now felt like an eternity for the both of them.


	6. Chapter 6

SAN DIEGO, CA

Scully landed in San Diego later that night, and took a cab to her brother's house. Bill and Tara had just had their first child a few months ago, and she didn't want Tara to have to truck an infant to pick her up from her late flight. She contemplated calling Mulder on the way to the house, but didn't want to seem too desperate. She felt like she was in high school all over again and had to follow the rules of dating. She mentally laughed at herself at the adolescent feelings she was having for Mulder. He made her feel like no one had, really ever, if she were to be honest. Sure, she had past, serious relationships, but none made her feel like she was walking on air with just the thought of them. She never opened herself up to anyone as easily as she had with Mulder either. All of these new revelations brought an anxious twist to her stomach, but it was overpowered by the giddiness and comfort that she was feeling.

She didn't know what her and Mulder were even considered. Dating? They had only really known each other for a day and both of them had so many more layers to uncover of the other. The only thing she was certain of was that Mulder was going to bring change to her life, that much she could tell already, and she was willing to take on that adventure with him.

Scully was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize she was almost to the house. She finished giving the directions to the cab driver and arrived shortly after 11. Tara had left a spare key for her under the mat on the front porch, just in case she was asleep when she arrived.

Scully opened the front door and tried to be as quiet as possible making her entrance into the house. She knew how tired Tara had been recently with the baby, and didn't want to wake her. She saw that some of the lights were left on for her, but then heard a small noise in the kitchen. She made her way quietly and found her sister-in-law making some tea.

"Dana! You're here! How was your flight?" Tara asked, a little louder than a whisper.

She hugged her sister-in-law. "It wasn't too bad. You know I hate flying, so any flight seems long to me."

"Well the guest room is ready for you upstairs, the same one you were just in last week, since you missed us so much!" Tara chuckled at her own joke.

"Thanks again for letting me crash here while I'm working. I figured I could save a few bureau bucks by having them not reserve a hotel room for me. Especially since I don't know how long this case is going to take." Scully answered, slightly exhausted thinking just how long her stay would seem here.

"Of course! You're always welcome here, you know that. You look exhausted though, I'm sending you up to bed." Tara shooed her out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. Scully was tired, she would admit, but she gained a sudden energy thinking of the phone call she was going to be placing.

She entered the guest room that she would be staying in, and before she could even set her suitcase down she pulled out her phone. It was late, even more so for him with the time difference, but he had asked that she call when she lands, and she promised she would.

It rang several times before she heard his machine click on. A slight frown of disappointment spread across her face.

 _Hey Mulder, it's me. I was just calling to let you know I got in safely. I'm exhausted though, so I'm going to turn in. I just wanted to call, like I said I would. You must be asleep, or out on a hot date. She smiled into the phone. I'm hoping for the former. Just give me a call when you can, I already know I'm going to be busy tomorrow since it's my first day catching up with everything, but call me anyway. Mm, goodnight._

The small smile stayed plastered on her face as she finished getting ready for bed. She grabbed her toiletries and made her way to the bathroom across the hall.

Scully was startled as she exited the room, running into Tara who was standing outside the slightly cracked door, with a secretive grin on her lips.

"I was just coming to make sure you had everything before I went to bed." Tara's grin only spreading further.

Scully stared back at her sister-in-law with wide eyes. Shit, caught. She didn't know how much Tara had heard of her conversation, or what she would infer from her simple message, but she knew exactly what the woman standing in front of her with the smug grin on her face was thinking.

"I - I, uh, yes thank you. I was just, uh, getting ready for bed, but I seem to have everything I need." Scully bowed her head to hide the red rushing her face.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from your sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, Dana, we definitely have some more catching up to do. Goodnight." Tara said in almost a mock tone.

Scully let out a deep breath as Tara disappeared into her own room down the hall. She made her way into the bathroom, and situated herself over the sink with both arms supporting her on each side. She looked up at herself in the mirror and let out a small chuckle as she shook her head.

She knew that her family would be over the moon that she was dating someone, but she honestly didn't know if that's what you can even call it. She knew that she was interested in him, and from what she could tell, he reciprocated those feelings. She just wanted to have the chance to explore this new relationship before barreling him into the Scully family crazy that she knew too well. So much for that plan. She knew that Tara would drill her for every detail of the mystery person putting a giddy smile on her serious sister-in-law's face. Scully also knew that Tara would talk to her mom, and that would only confirm her mom's suspicions of her whereabouts late last night.

Scully sighed as she headed back into the bedroom. She was hoping that she was overthinking everything, and that her family wouldn't meddle into her new acquaintanceship. She snickered at even the hope of the thought. She settled herself into bed and something sticking out of her purse caught her eye. She grabbed the book that Mulder had signed for Tara and stared at it in her hands. She was curious about this story, now knowing the main character was based on her, and opened to the first page.

Settling into bed a little further, Dana Scully was introduced to Daniela Skye.

* * *

FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT

Mulder was roused awake by the busyness of his neighborhood the following morning around 7am. He looked around and realized that he had fallen asleep on the couch, again. He took in his surroundings and saw his computer hanging halfway off his coffee table, and papers strewn around his floor. After his lunch with Scully, he had been in a writing frenzy. Once he hooked himself into his writing, the real world was lost to him.

Scully.

Mulder woke quickly and ran to his phone. There, he saw the red blinking light that let him know he had a new message. He knew exactly who it was from.

"Dammit!" Mulder cursed himself. He pressed play, and her smooth voice began to fill his apartment.

 _Hey Mulder, it's me. I was just calling to let you know I got in safely. I'm exhausted though, so I'm going to turn in. I just wanted to call, like I said I would. You must be asleep, or out on a hot date. I'm hoping for the former. Just give me a call when you can, I already know I'm going to be busy tomorrow since it's my first day catching up with everything, but call me anyway. Mm, goodnight._

He smiled to himself, he could hear the teasing in her voice, still with a brief uncertainty. If Dana Scully didn't know where she ranked in Mulder's life, he would really need to step it up. He was completely engrossed by her, and he loved every quirk about her. He was addicted.

He looked at the clock and realized it was only just after 4am in California. He could call her now, and more than likely leave a voicemail for her to wake up to. If he was being honest with himself though, that just wouldn't do. Mulder was selfish, and wanted to hear her voice. He also didn't want to risk calling her and waking her up, knowing she had a long first day ahead of her. Mulder sighed and went back to plop down on his couch. He would attempt to wait patiently until it deemed a decent time to return her call. He flipped on his TV to a mindless station and waited.

* * *

SAN DIEGO, CA

Scully woke to her alarm, bright and early at 7am. She groaned at the incessant sound filling her room. After turning it off and dragging herself to a seated position on the bed, she felt even more exhausted than she did yesterday. She stayed up until almost 2am reading Mulder's book. She knew it wasn't the wisest decision since she had to be at work all day today, with an early start, but she couldn't put it down.

As the book introduced the character of Daniela Skye, Scully was completely in awe of how much Mulder was able to capture about herself before he even said as much as two words to her. It was almost like he was able to see into her soul after observing her so intently for a month prior to their official meeting. It unnerved her, but not as much as it exhilarated her.

Scully dressed for work and made her way downstairs. She could smell the fresh coffee brewing, and mentally thanked her tiny nephew for being an early riser, because that meant Tara would be awake making breakfast before she had to head out.

As she entered the kitchen from the hallway, her pace began to slow as she remembered the run in with Tara last night, right after her phone call to Mulder. She grimaced slightly as she entered the room, not really wanting to have this conversation before coffee. She let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes, might as well get this over with.

"Good morning, Tara. Please tell me there is enough coffee to go around." Scully said, still slightly groggy from lack of sleep. She was never a morning person.

"Morning, Dana! There's plenty, I just made it, too. Sleep well?" Tara asked, with that similar tone of amusement to her voice that she held last night.

"Yes, I did, thank you." Scully responded, trying to keep conversation as minimal as possible.

"Well I would hope so, you seemed awfully content right before you went to bed." Tara said as she sipped her coffee, staring at dana with gleaming eyes over the edge of her cup.

Scully choked slightly on her coffee, coughing to clear her throat. She had expected to have this conversation this morning, but she didn't think Tara would be so blunt. She should have known, her sister-in-law was never one for subtlety.

"I, uh, I just had a good day yesterday. Looking forward to working, I guess. Um..." Scully sighed. Just get it over with Dana. She scolded herself. "Look, Tara, I don't know what you heard, but-" Her voice was cut off by the ringing of her cell phone. She grabbed it from her purse that she placed on the counter, and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, yes, I was told for a good time to call this number."

Scully smirked as she heard the familiar, teasing voice. "Well, I only deal with dead clients, so if you're coming to me, you might have already had too good a time."

Mulder chuckled, continuously enchanted by her quick wit. "I'd say your clients are just dying to see you, then."

She couldn't help the grin that was spreading to most of her face. "Mulder, cheesy pathology jokes are beneath you."

Scully shifted her body to lean her hip against the counter, and it was only then that she noticed Tara staring back at her with pure joy plastered on her face. Scully's eyes widened as she realized that she completely forgot she wasn't alone. Tara silently excused herself from the kitchen, chuckling as she made her exit. Scully knew she was raising more questions than giving answers, and would suffer the consequential interrogation of her sister-in-law later.

"Well now I need new material if you're going to bash my best jokes, Scully." Mulder laughed. "I, uh, was just calling you back. Sorry I didn't answer, hot date, you know how it is. I'm glad you got there safely though." He continued.

A brief moment of jealousy began to rise in Scully, until she heard the joking tone of Mulder's voice. He was simply referencing her voicemail that she left him late last night. She couldn't help but feel silly at the jealousy that did wash over her, because she didn't think it was hers to feel, yet.

"What happened to staying up late? Did Miss Thursday Night wear you out early?" She joked back.

"Nah, I sent her home. My nights from now on are reserved for a beautiful, brilliant redhead..."

He could hear the small gasp that escaped her lips and smiled at the affect he was having on her.

"Daniela Skye, of course. I was up all night in a writing bubble, and kind of blocked out reality until I fell asleep on my couch."

Scully wanted to ask more about his second novel in the series that he was working on since she was already so captivated by the first. She wasn't willing to admit to him though that she had been reading his book, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction yet.

"Oh, of course. Lost in your own little world, Mulder."

"Hey, it's not such a bad place to be."

"I'm sure I can't wait to find out." Scully mumbled softly.

There was a comfortable silence that they both sat in, smiling through the phone at the developments in their new - whatever this was.

"Well, I can't wait to give you the grand tour. You'll have VIP access and everything." Mulder said in an excited voice.

She couldn't help but laugh. Her mood was broken when she looked up at the clock in the kitchen and let out a heavy sigh.

"Gee, Scully, please try to contain the excitement." He teased when he heard her sigh.

"Oh I can't wait to cash in on this grand tour of the World de Mulder, but unfortunately it's going to have to wait. Dead bodies just don't autopsy themselves." She joked back.

"I think it was be cool if they could."

"Mulder, get some new material." She chuckled. "But I do have to get going to make it to this morning's briefing. I'll try to call you later tonight, if it's not too late again. Don't want to interrupt another hot date."

"Yeah, you know my Fridays are pretty lively. I usually order pizza instead of chinese. But I will welcome the interruption, please don't hesitate to call."

She giggled at his humor. Who was she this past week? Giggling like she had some teenage crush. "I'll call you tonight, Mulder. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Scully."

* * *

FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT

After getting off the phone with Scully, Mulder was instantly in a better mood. He was really going to have to learn this whole patience thing, since he would have to wait for her to call him. In past relationships, he had always gone in starting strong. He would almost invade their lives and throw himself into the relationship wholeheartedly. He wasn't completely sure how to play it this time with Scully, since she was even busier than him, but he was willing to welcome to change of pace. Only for her.

He had a few errands to run that would help him pass the time of his day. Normally, he would mull around until something came up, but that routine wasn't going to work today. He needed to be out and busy to preoccupy his mind until the best part of his day would come. His phone call with Scully.

Mulder began to attempt to clean up the tornado of papers strewn on the floor from his frenzy last night, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Mulder, my man. Don't you know how to answer your phone?" Frohike grumbled as he pushed past him, followed by Langly and Byers.

"When did you call? I haven't heard it ring." Mulder asked, puzzled.

"Maybe 10 minutes ago?" Byers answered.

A wide grin spread across Mulder's face. "Oh, I was on the phone then, sorry."

"Does Mr. Hides-In-The-Shadows-And-Doesn't-Talk-To-Anyone have a new lady friend? Is she hot?" Frohike asked with complete amusement.

"Something like that. And she already knows I'm friends with you three and has gone running yet, so I think there's hope." He mused.

He looked at the three men standing before him, and saw the quizzical looks on their faces. He was waiting for it to click on who he was talking about. Byers made the connections first.

"Dr. Scully? You've been talking to Dr. Scully?" Byers finally asked.

"Yep. I, uh, was waiting for her outside after you called me about her being in your place a few days ago. We've been talking since then." Mulder smiled.

"We came to apologize about our slip up with your name since we hadn't heard from you since then, but apparently no apology is necessary anymore. You should be thanking us, really. She's hot." Frohike said, waggling his eyebrows at Mulder.

"Yeah, man, she was pretty tough, but cool. You dating now or something?" Langly finally chimed in.

"Or something. I'm not really sure, we've seen each other twice, and talked this morning. She got sent out to California on an active case, so we can only really talk on the phone. She's even more amazing than when I was just observing her. I don't know how long she'll be gone, but I already can't wait to see her again. I mean, I've had the pleasure to somewhat know her for the last month, but she's only known me for the last few days and already I feel a strong connection. I don't know..." Mulder stammered.

He finally looked up at his three guests, and saw the gleaming in their eyes to match the smirks on their faces. The Gunmen had never seen Mulder in such a state, almost like he was a lovesick puppy. This was going to be entertaining.

"Mulder, you've got it really bad." Frohike teased, Byers and and Langly nodded their heads in agreement.

Avoiding that conversation, Mulder began to motion for them to leave. "Well as fun as this visit has been, I've got some things to finish up. Thanks for stopping by, I forgive you for breaking the one rule I set up for you goons, not telling my name to anyone. " He shooed them out the door.

"Yeah well it looks like we're not the only ones to be breaking your rules, Mulder. What was rule number 1? Not ever meeting your muse?" Frohike sneered at him.

And with that, Mulder shut the door behind them as they stood in the hallway outside his apartment.

* * *

SAN DIEGO, CA

Scully had a long morning already, but was somewhat relieved when the head Agent suggested they all have a light weekend to let the newcomers catch up and everyone else regroup. She had already looked over the autopsy reports from the first 3 victims, and was going to perform the autopsy on the latest victim after lunch. Then she was pretty much able to relax for the weekend until they dove right back in with full force on Monday.

She welcomed the tiny break, thinking of all the things she could do while she was here in San Diego. A small moment of disappointment spread through her at the thought of having a free weekend, but far away from the person she really wanted to spend it with. Mulder.

She took the chance to call him on her lunch break.

"Mulder"

"Hey, it's me."

"Scully! To what do I owe this pleasure? I know I'm a little fuzzy on time difference, but I'd say it's not tonight there yet." Mulder teased.

"Oh, well sorry for messing up your itinerary, I could always just call back later..." Scully mused.

"No! No...I, I welcome the distraction into my busy schedule." Mulder said quickly, still trying to maintain his wit, and mask the sudden moment of panic in his voice.

She chuckled at how flustered he became. "I was just calling to - uh, just say hi I guess." She answered embarrassingly. She didn't even think of a good reason to call him, she did it on a moment of impulse simply because she had been thinking about him. She was now silently scolding herself, she never wanted to seem desperate or needy to a man. That wasn't who Dana Katherine Scully was.

"You know, you don't need a reason to call me. I like just hearing from you, too." He answered assuringly, detecting the slight embarrassment in her tone of voice.

"Well, you might be hearing from me a lot this weekend. We kind of have a break from the case. They want everyone to regroup and the newcomers to catch up on where everything stands. So I'll have a lot of free time on my hands for the next few days." She said.

"Any plans?" Mulder asked.

"Not at the moment, just figuring out what to do with my spare time. I almost wish I was back home with this free weekend..." She answered, indirectly implicating that she wished she could spend that time with him.

"Well at least you'll be visiting with your family, that's always nice. Listen, Scully I gotta run. Call me tonight when you're done?" Mulder seemed suddenly rushed.

She frowned, he completely missed the point that she was hinting at. That wasn't like him, usually he was on the same wavelength as her. "Yeah, uh, okay Mulder. I'll call you when I'm done. It won't be too late either, I only have one more thing to wrap up for today."

"Sounds good. Talk to you later, Scully."

"Sure, bye." She answered, sounding as solemn as she felt.

She shook herself out of her mood. She knew it was too soon to feel this strongly for someone, but Mulder seemed distracted and she had an uneasy feeling about it. She didn't like that he had dismissed her wanting to spend time with him. She rolled her eyes at herself and gathered her things back up. She would try to gage on his mood later tonight when she spoke with him. Something just seemed off.

Little did she know, Mulder rushed off the phone with her to book the next flight to San Diego, CA.


	7. Chapter 7

SAN DIEGO, CA

Scully arrived back at the house just after 5pm, completely spent after performing her last two autopsies for the day. She hadn't planned to perform a second one today, but figured she didn't have anything else to do. She was still feeling slightly irritated at Mulder's passive attitude during their phone call at lunch, and she had been dwelling on it for the rest of the day. She chided herself for how ridiculous it was that a man she had only known for 2 days could cause such a reaction from her. It mostly vexed her because she didn't feel that she was in a place to ask him why he was acting so different all of a sudden.

Scully let out a heavy sigh and made her way to Tara, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen.

"Hey Dana! I didn't hear you come in. How was the first day?" Tara asked, busily moving around.

"It was good, just a little long. Anything I can help with?"

"Sure, you can start prepping the salad."

Tara looked over at her sister-in-law and noticed the shift in mood from the giddy woman grinning into her phone this morning.

"Anything else on your mind?" Tara asked, not sure how to approach the conversation. She knew that Dana was not one for talking about anything in her personal life until she was good and ready to share.

"What? Oh, uh no. Just - just a long day I guess." Scully answered solemnly.

"You're just in a different mood from when you left this morning, that's all." Tara answered with an assuring smile and a gleam to her eyes.

Scully blushed recalling her morning conversation with Mulder, and the banter that Tara had witnessed. She took a deep breath and began to tell her about Mulder, and how foolish she felt to be in this mood. She didn't have many friends, and honestly, it could be nice to engage in a normal conversation with someone for once. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, her cell phone chimed from her purse hanging by the door. She quickly wiped off her hands and made her way to the front foyer.

"Hello?" She answered rushed, slightly out of breath.

"Hey Scully, did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Mulder! Hi, uh, no my phone was in the other room."

"I know I was supposed to wait for you to call me tonight, but I uh, just wanted to let you know I might be out of a service area, so I thought I'd just call now." He said, with a secret hint in his voice. When he booked his last minute flight, the only one available had a 3-hour layover in Utah, and he knew he would be up in the air when she tried to call later.

Scully's mood instantly plummeted even more. She didn't know why she felt like he was hiding something from her, but she couldn't shake the feeling. She was also looking forward to talking to him later tonight to hopefully assure her that he was just caught at a bad time earlier. There was no reassurance now, and she became annoyed. "Oh, sure, fine." She answered shortly.

Mulder noticed the change in her voice and slightly panicked. He wanted to surprise her, but he was starting to feel his plan failing as her mood shifted and she began to close herself off. He didn't want to flat out tell her that he was coming to see her, but he didn't want her to completely shut him out either. He had to play this just right.

"Don't sound so excited to talk to me, Scully." He said in a joking tone, hoping to ease the mood.

"I'm actually in the middle of helping with dinner, so I might have to go soon. I wasn't planning to talk to you this early." She answered, flat toned.

"Sorry I called so early, and that I'll be out of reach later. I would love to make it up to you though. I know you said before that you love boats and being on the water, and that you didn't really have any plans this weekend, so I uh-" Mulder became flustered, realizing he was taking a huge leap. She heard him let out a long breath and continue. "-uh, I booked for you to go on a whale watching cruise tomorrow morning. I thought you might enjoy it. I hope I'm not overstepping here, and you don't have to go if you don't want to. I can email the ticket to you, I just thought you would enjoy it..." His voice drifted off.

Scully's breath caught in her throat at his gesture. All of the doubt that was clouding her mind throughout the day dissipated as she reveled in what he had done for her. She had told him about her dad on their first 'date' and mentioned how much she missed him since he had passed away from a heart attack the year prior. She told Mulder about how close to heart Moby Dick was to her since it was shared between her and her father, like their own little sanctuary that they found in a book. She didn't have any words to thank him, and her affection for him grew immensely in that moment. The grin that she had earlier that morning crept back onto her face.

"Oh, Mulder. That's - that's amazing. You really didn't have to do that." She managed, trying to hide the emotion in her voice.

"I wanted to, I hope you enjoy it, it looks like it will be the perfect day for it." Mulder answered, shyly.

"I, um, wish you were here to enjoy it with me." She said in almost a whisper.

Mulder's grin grew as he was now assured that his plan was perfect. "Me, too, Scully. We'll have to find fun things to do together when you get back, I can think of a few already..." He answered in a teasing, yet sultry tone.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Mulder." She responded, matching his voice.

"Oh, Scully, you can hold me anywhere you'd like." He teased. "But I do have to get going, I'll send you all the info tomorrow and try to talk to you before you head out. Goodnight."

"Okay, goodnight, Mulder. And again, thank you, this - this means a lot to me."

She chuckled to herself as she disconnected the call. The smile not escaping her lips as she felt content in their comfortable banter again. As she walked back into the kitchen, Tara noticed the change in her mood again and an instant gleam shone through her eyes.

The next morning Scully woke up feeling better rested than she had in a while. She had escaped upstairs the night before, calling it an early evening from a long day, but truthfully she was running from the interrogation that she could tell was about to ensue. Tara didn't push much at dinner, and for that she was grateful, but when she offered her a glass of wine and a movie night on the couch, that's when Scully bolted. She smiled at her childish behavior, but she wasn't ready to share Mulder with anyone, not yet.

She began to dress for her whale watching cruise, and changed into tight, dark jeans and a comfortable, blue sweater that had a slightly lower v-cut than she would normally wear in public. It hugged her in all the right places, accentuating her fit curves, and bringing out the color in her eyes. She knew Mulder wouldn't be there to see the outfit in person, but she figured pictures would have the same effect on him. He had only seen her in her work suits, and knew this would be a nice change. She only wished she could see his reaction in person.

"Good morning, Dana! You look nice, plans for today?" Tara said in her usual, chipper voice.

"Morning, yes, uh, I am going to on the whale watching cruise." Scully mumbled, in search for coffee.

"Oh they are great! Bill and I have been a few times before Matty was born, you'll love it. It looks like a beautiful day for it, too!"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. It was, um, a surprise." Scully said smiling into her cup.

"It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with your mystery phone calls that you won't talk about, would it?"

"It might."

"That's all I'm going to get out of you, isn't it?" Tara said, exasperated.

Scully chuckled. "For now at least. Maybe more, later."

"I'm looking forward to it. I know I haven't been in this family long, but this is the happiest I've seen you, so keep whatever is putting this smile on your face." Tara exclaimed.

"We'll see, it's all relatively new, whatever it even is. I - I'm very interested in seeing where it goes..." Scully began to say until she noticed her sister-in-law staring at her with an amused expression. "...but I have to go, don't want to be late. We'll talk later, bye!" She finished, practically running out the door.

* * *

SAN DIEGO WHALE WATCH

Scully had received the information from Mulder's email and found her way to the cruise. It was a busy morning, since it was a Saturday, and she found herself fighting through the crowd for the best spots on the boat. She found a spot on the side railing, towards the front and finally relaxed. She took a deep breath of the ocean air and felt herself float into her own little nirvana.

She was only briefly brought out of her reverie when the boat began to move, further into the ocean. Scully took in the serenity that the salt water brought her and began to just smile at the moment that Mulder had gifted her. She began to look around at the people on the cruise with her and could easily spot the tourists from the locals. She watched as kids played around on the deck, and couples snuggled together in the cold, morning, ocean air. Just as she was about to turn around to face the water again, she noticed a familiar face walking towards her with a smug grin, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Beautiful day for whale watching, isn't it?" He asked as he raked in the sight of her and did a once over on the sweater she was wearing.

"Mulder?! What the hell are you doing here?" Scully's eyes widened but a smile began to curve at her lips.

"Well it's nice to see you, too, Scully." Mulder responded, still sporting his smug grin.

"Mulder...I...what are you doing here?" She repeated, still shocked by the fact that he was standing in front of her nearly 3,000 miles from where she left him standing dazed in a parking lot not even 2 days ago.

"My my, is Dr. Dana Scully at a loss for words? We should probably jot this day down for the record books." He teased, stepping closer to her.

She had to admit, she was at a loss for words. No man, or anyone for that matter, has ever made such a grand gesture for her. She was still so confused by what their relationship even was, and was slightly terrified about how quickly it was moving. She never expected him to fly out here and be with her on a weekend off, but here he was. She knew that the Dana Scully a week ago would have ran far away from this situation, and never looked back. She never considered herself to have a relationship phobia, it just worked out that way. But the Scully that she had been these last few days with Mulder exhilarated her, and she wanted to explore this new person.

She stepped forward, closing any space left between them and leaned up to kiss his lips. It started out as a feather soft kiss, but she deepened it by pulling his head down towards her, melding them more together. When they finally broke for air, she smiled at the stunned, yet blissful look on Mulder's face.

"I...uh...Scully, wow." He stammered.

She chuckled and raised her eyebrow, still only inches away from his face. "Who's speechless now, Mulder?" she whispered into his lips.

He smiled back at her and knew he was in for an eventful weekend. As he was making his way to San Diego, he began to doubt how she would react to him just showing up half way across the country. He never wanted to scare her at how strongly he threw himself into relationships, when they really mattered, and tried to take it slow. But he also knew that he wanted to spend time with the woman who captivated his every thought for the past month. He was falling hard, and fast.

"Please feel free to use that method to shut me up, anytime." He teased back.

She chuckled, and step slightly away from his embrace, placing her hands on his chest to maintain the contact. "l'll make a mental note. But really, Mulder, what are you doing here?"

"I, uh, when you said you had a somewhat free weekend, I wanted to spend it with you, so I rushed off the phone to book the next flight out. That's where I was last night, flying to get here." He answered sheepishly.

Scully mentally put everything together and felt embarrassed for thinking that he was dismissing her initial hint of wishing to spend the weekend with him. He had not only picked up on it, but made it a reality. She looked up into his warm, hazel eyes and felt herself melt inside.

"Mulder, this really is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. The cruise was enough, but getting to spend it with you makes it that much more special." She smiled at him as she caressed down his arms, and clasped their hands together.

"I'm glad you think so, because I also have lunch planned after this, if you, um, didn't have plans already."

"No, no plans until dinner. Tara got a babysitter and needs a night out away from the baby."

"Good. You're mine until then."

"I'm pretty sure I'm yours anyway." She mumbled under her breath as she turned around to face the ocean again. She leaned forward on the railing and took in this moment as she felt Mulder move in closer behind her. She leaned back into him and let out a content sigh as he smiled down to her.

Mulder had made the lunch reservations at a popular seafood place right on the water. Afterwards, they strolled along the streets, hand in hand, enjoying the companionable silence. They were both lost in how perfect this day was, that they had smiles plastered on their faces.

"Dr. Scully?" She was broken from the spell and looked up to see the lead Agent of their investigation standing before her, Agent Carmichael.

Mulder felt Scully instantly stiffen and release his hand. When he looked down at her, he saw her entire demeanor change and wondered who this man was that caused the sudden shift in persona.

"Agent Carmichael, how are you, sir?" She responded, her tone slipping back into the familiar Dr. Dana Scully that Mulder was first introduced to.

"Very well, just enjoying the weekend, beautiful day for a walk!" He said in a friendly tone, gesturing to the leash in his hand and the dog attached.

"Yes, it's nice to have a break from the case, I'm sure." She smiled tightly back at him.

Mulder wanted to break the awkward conversation and introduce himself to the Agent, but didn't want to feel like he was overstepping Scully. He respected her work persona, this was just the first time he had a glimpse of it since their relationship evolved a few days ago. He also wondered if it would always be like this any time they were around her colleagues. He shook his head at the thought, he was jumping way ahead. He brought himself back and noticed that Agent Carmichael was making a gesture at him.

"Well, I'll let you be on your way, I can see you're enjoying your weekend." Carmichael looked towards Mulder, with a sly smile on his face. Around the rumor mill, it was said that they were sending the 'Ice Queen' as the expert pathologist for this case. When he first met Scully, she didn't seem as cold as they had made her out to be. Sure, she upheld a professional persona, but she wasn't totally off-putting. He never expected to see the stoic doctor laughing and smiling giddily, holding hands with a handsome stranger. It was like he saw a completely different person, until he stopped to talk to her.

"Yes, sir. See you Monday." Scully answered, slightly bowing her head.

Carmichael looked between the two again and walked past them with a smile on his face. He couldn't wait to get the rumor mill going with this one. No one would ever believe him.

They strolled a little further in a silence that shifted from content to slightly uneasy until Scully spoke.

"Mulder, I - I didn't mean to not introduce you back there. I just, don't really know what this is yet, and I didn't want to bring anything into my professional life. I'm not usually known for being very personal at work, and I just, panicked I think. I'm sorry..." She drifted off.

"Hey" He lifted her chin to bring her face to his, and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I know this is new, and it's been quick, but I'm interested in seeing you more. A lot more. I just didn't want to scare you off. I totally get keeping professional and personal separate, too. We can go at your pace, Scully."

She smiled back at him, and felt at ease in his confidence. "I think if I haven't ran after you stalked me for a month and flew 3,000 miles to see me, I'm not going anywhere, and I - I'm interested, too." She returned his soft kiss.

"You wound me, Scully! But does this mean you'll wear my jersey at the game on Friday, now?" He wagged his eyebrows and teased.

"Don't push your luck, Mulder. No man ever truly gets a claim on Dana Scully." She pointed at his chest with her finger.

"Oh, challenge accepted."

She blushed at what his response implicated and looked down nervously, licking her lips. Mulder smiled at this reaction and grabbed her hand to lead her towards where their day began.

"I should get you back, it's getting late, and you have a dinner date to get ready for."

Scully groaned, "I honestly think it's an interrogation disguised as a night out."

"Interrogation? Have you been a bad girl, Scully?"

"Not the way you might hope. Tara just wants to know what's put me in such a good mood lately."

"You mean, like handsome authors who sweep you off your feet?" He leered at her.

Her eyebrow shot up. "Something like that, but I would never give you the satisfaction to admit it." She teased back.

He chuckled and led her back to her car. He had taken a cab over from the hotel he was staying at, and now it was time to part ways. She leaned her back against her rental, and he covered her front side with his. The parting kiss they shared expressed so much passion and many future promises between them. They smiled at each other as they finally broke apart, but neither made an effort to move from their closeness.

"You should get back." He whispered into her mouth.

"Yeah..." She whispered back.

"I don't have anything planned for tomorrow, since, to be honest, I didn't know how today was going to go, but I would love to see you."

"Of course." She smiled at him. "Today was, it was perfect. Thank you, Mulder."

"Well, now I'm going to have to find a way to top perfect, Scully. But I'll think of something. Call me after dinner, I'll be up." He joked as he stepped back slightly from her.

She nodded and took his hint, opening the car door. She gave him one final, chaste kiss before getting in her car and driving off.

Scully and Tara made their way to a nearby restaurant for an early happy hour. As they situated themselves in a booth and ordered their drinks, Tara wasted no time getting directly to what this evening was really about.

"So, do I get to know more about this mystery phone caller now? It is later." Tara teased as she sipped on her drink.

Scully let out a heavy sigh. "I knew there was an ulterior motive to this night out."

"Oh come on, Dana! It's just us girls talking."

"Fine, but no one else gets to know anything said tonight, especially if they have the last name Scully."

Tara chuckled. "Alright, I promise I'll try to be good. You know they'll figure it out eventually though, you just seem - different, happy."

Scully smiled to herself. "I guess I am. It's weird, I've only known him for maybe 3 days, and he just makes me feel...I don't know how to explain it. Normally this kind of thing would make me run for the hills, but I find myself running straight to him instead. It's like I'm a completely different person when I'm with him."

"Why try to hide this fabulous man then?!"

"I guess I'm just waiting for it all to come crashing down. It seems too perfect, he seems too perfect. If I'm not the one running, then something else has to happen eventually to cause this to end in a disaster."

"Geez, Dana. What a romantic you are." Tara teased. "Maybe this perfect man is just what you need, and nothing is going to happen. You haven't run yet, maybe you won't, not from him. I've never seen you like this. Just enjoy it."

"Maybe you're right, I'm just excited to see where it goes. We kind of made things official today, that we're dating." Scully grinned into her drink.

Tara grinned back at her. "So when do we get to meet this mystery man?"

"He, uh, actually is here. He surprised me at the whale watching cruise this morning, and then we had lunch and walked through the city."

"Perfect! Invite him for dinner tomorrow at the house, I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Tara, I don't think-" She was cut off by the look on Tara's face. She let out another heavy sigh. Telling her about Mulder was one thing but actually introducing him to anyone of the family was taking another step in Scully's book. She didn't know if she was ready for that, but also knew there was no way to get out of it. "I'll ask him."

Tara nodded, knowing she was getting her way. They continued their evening talking a little more about Mulder, but ventured into discussions about work and the family. They wrapped up a somewhat early evening and began to make their exit. As they stood outside waiting for their cab, Scully saw the familiar face approaching them. She smiled at him shyly as he walked closer.

"Mulder, we really need to stop meeting like this." She teased.

"I, uh, was hoping to steal you for a late dessert. When we talked earlier you said this is where you would be, so I just took a chance." His voice drifted off, seeming embarrassed. Scully found this adorable.

"Well, I don't mind, but you'll have to ask permission of my keeper. This is Tara, my sister-in-law." She introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tara." Mulder said, shaking her hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, mystery man." Tara teased. "And don't let me stop you from continuing your evening. I'll see you back at the house later, maybe." She smirked as she stepped away to get in the cab that pulled up.

Scully's eyes widened, and her face tinged bright red. She bowed her head, mumbling her good bye to Tara.

Mulder held out his arm for her to link hers through. "Shall we?"

They spent the rest of the evening at a small cafe nearby, just talking more about - everything. They both were amazed at how easy the other was to talk to, and reveled in this moment. After dessert they strolled through the city lights, hand in hand, mirroring their earlier date. Neither wanted the evening to end, but they knew they had to slow the pace. Scully was scared at how fast she was falling for this man, it was extremely unlike her, and that's what terrified her more. Mulder knew that if he spent the rest of his evening with her, he would fall to the point of no return.

They called the cab, and decided to split it, taking Scully home first. They sat in the backseat of the cab, their hands intertwined, like they had been doing it for years versus the 3 days they really knew each other.

"Oh, Tara would like for you to join us at the house tomorrow for dinner. She insists, and it's not so much of an invitation as it is an order." She said in a serious tone, no real emotion for him to vibe from.

Mulder chuckled. "I would love to, if that's okay with you." He answered, a little unsure of her tone.

"Yes, I don't mind." She sighed. "You, uh, you're the first guy to meet anyone from my family, since - well since high school, I guess." She answered in almost a whisper.

"Scully, I can respectfully decline, if you're not ready. I told you that we are going at your pace here." He assured her.

"I know, and I appreciate that, it's just all new for me. I - I would like you to come to dinner." She smiled at him, still slightly uneasy.

"Thank you, I promise I will be on my best behavior." He teased.

"It's not you I'm worried about."

"Well, considering Tara's a fan, I think I can handle her."

Scully's eyes widened slightly, she hadn't even told Tara who Mulder was. She was still trying to secretly finish the book before she gave it to her sister-in-law, as intended. "I, uh, I haven't exactly told her who you are." She whispered.

"You didn't give her my gift?"

"Uh, no. Not yet." She avoided looking at him.

"Scully."

She sighed. "I was trying to finish reading it before I gave it to her. I guess I also didn't want her hounding me even more about you. All she knew was that I was with some mystery guy, she didn't even know your real name until tonight. Mulder, I'm sorry, I-" She stopped her words as she finally looked at him and saw the familiar smirk appear on his face. "What?"

"Nothing, you're just really cute when you get flustered." He leaned over and kissed her. "Maybe if you finish the book before dinner tomorrow, I can give her the present myself. Take all the hounding first hand."

"I wouldn't subject you to a Tara interrogation like that."

"Nah, I can take it. I'm a smooth talker, great with my words."

"Mulder, when I told you to get new material, I didn't mean going from cheesy pathology jokes to cheesy writer jokes." She teased.

"You're making me pull out all my best moves here, Scully. Give me some credit." He chuckled.

A lighter mood filled the cab for the rest of the ride. She didn't know how he could understand her so well and be able to pull her out of any doubts she had. She always felt at ease when he was around, and she was beginning to not want him to ever be away from her.

The next day they spent together exploring San Diego from the beaches to the Science Center in Balboa Park. Tara insisted that she had dinner handled, and instructed them to not come back to the house until at least 5. They arrived exhausted at around 4:30 and spent the next 30 minutes making out like teenagers on the front porch before they went inside.

"Hey, Tara. We're back." Scully said, making her way into the kitchen.

"Dana! Right on time, dinner is just about ready, if you want you can get the-" Tara stopped talking as she turned around and took in the way Dana looked. Her hair was disheveled, and her lips were swollen. Tara's grin couldn't have been bigger.

"What?" Scully asked, wide-eyed and guilty.

"Nothing, just looks like you had a good day."

Scully blushed and made a quick break for the bathroom. She took in her appearance in the mirror and groaned at what she saw. This was definitely not the composed Dana Scully that everyone usually made acquaintances with. She couldn't help but smile as she fixed her hair and ran water over her face.

She found Mulder in the kitchen getting drinks ready for dinner and chatting with Tara. Scully couldn't help but revel in how easily he meshed into her life. They all sat down at the table to enjoy the meal, but it didn't take long for the questions to ensue.

"So, Mulder, is that a family name?" Tara asked.

"It's actually my last name. Not a fan of my first name, Fox." He smiled shyly.

"Fox. It definitely suits you." She smirked.

Scully blushed and became very interested in her food. She was relieved that Mulder was the primary focus of dinner tonight, and almost felt bad for putting him in this position. Almost.

"So how did you meet Dana?" Tara continued.

Both Mulder and Scully paused and weren't really sure how to answer the question. In reality, he had been watching her for a month before he even met her. That's not exactly a plot for a rom-com, but it worked for them. They hadn't really discussed how they would explain their unique situation, given that Mulder kept his profession rather hidden. She looked at him and let him lead the discussion.

"I actually am a psychologist. I, uh, study people's behavior and was at Quantico as a favor." Mulder answered carefully. He looked at Scully and noticed the impressed look on her face. He winked at her, and she shyly looked down at her plate again. She had to admit, he did have a way with words. Technically, he wasn't lying.

From there the conversation flowed, and the interrogation subsided. They both offered to help Tara with the dishes, but she refused and sent them into the living room to wait until she finished getting dessert and coffee ready. She didn't get to entertain many people, and she was taking full advantage of the opportunity.

After dessert, Mulder began to make his exit, since he had an early flight the next morning. As he was gathering his things, Tara took the dessert dishes to the kitchen and Scully disappeared upstairs. When she came back down, he caught a glimpse of her waving the book in her hand. He smiled, and knew that she was waiting for him to leave to give Tara the gift. He walked over to her, closing in on her personal space, and gave her an amused look.

"I finished it last night." She said in only a whisper that he could hear.

"How nice of you to share." He teased back.

She swatted at his arm and chuckled. "Shut up, Mulder. I figured you would want to give her your gift, personally."

Before he could answer, they both heard Tara walking back towards the front door where they were standing. He nodded and took the book from her hands. "Tara, thank you again for a great evening. It's been a while since I had a home cooked meal."

"It was my pleasure! It was nice to meet you, I hope I see more of you soon." She said with a sly smile, causing Scully to blush and look slightly away.

"I hope so, too. Oh, this is a gift, from a friend. I know you're a fan, and it's the least I could do for giving me a wonderful evening." He said secretively as he handed her the blank covered book.

She looked at the book, puzzled, and opened the front cover. She let out an audible gasp as she read the inscription, and flipped to the first page to see the title of the newest, unreleased, M.F. Luder book staring back at her.

"Oh my! How - how did you even-?" Tara was at a loss for words as she flipped through the pages and finally looked back up at him with wide eyes.

He chuckled at her reaction and winked at her as he headed out the door. "It was nice to meet you, Tara. Thanks again." He walked out the front door, leaving Tara standing shock still, as she looked up at the devious smirk on Dana's face. Scully then followed Mulder outside to say their goodbyes, closing the door behind her.

"I don't think she's ever going to move from that spot, Mulder." She chuckled as she stepped into his embrace.

"That was kind of fun. I've never signed a book for an actual fan before, it almost makes me want to do book signings." He joked, bringing her closer to him.

They stood there in their embrace until the cab showed up to take Mulder back to the hotel. They both knew her stay here was going to seem even longer than it originally was, but they both had the memories of the weekend to keep them in their world of bliss until they were able to be together again. He kissed her in a passionate goodbye, and they reluctantly broke apart.

"I'll call you tomorrow when I get home. I- I'll miss you." He whispered.

She smiled at him and put her hand on his cheek, caressing his face. "I'll miss you, too." She gave him a final kiss, and he made his way to the cab. Scully watched him drive off, and felt like a part of her had left. She sighed and made her way back inside to the questioning look of her sister-in-law.

"Dana! What the hell?" Tara asked, still holding the book in her hand with a surprised look on her face.

Scully had to cover her mouth to try to hide how amused she was. "Like he said, it was a gift from a friend."

"A friend?! Dana this is the newest M.F. Luder book that doesn't even come out until next month. Not only that, he has never signed a book before, because no one knows who he is. How did - what - unless..." Scully watched the wheels turn in Tara's head as she pieced everything together. She knew she was on the right track when her eyes popped out of her head. "He's M.F. Luder?!"

Scully faked a yawn, and got up from the couch to head upstairs. "Well, I'm exhausted, and I have an early morning tomorrow, I'm going to call it an early night. Thanks for dinner, Tara. Enjoy your new book." She smirked and made a brisk exit.

FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT

Mulder had landed early the next morning, still encompassed in the bliss of his weekend in San Diego. As he entered his apartment, and went to put his luggage away, he was struck on the back of the head by an unknown figure hiding in the shadows. He was completely taken by surprise, and his last thought was of Scully as everything faded to darkness.

When Mulder finally awoke, he panicked. He groggily took in his surroundings, and found himself tied to a chair in an unfamiliar apartment. Before he could fully comprehend the predicament he was in, the assailant made his appearance.

"Who are you? What the hell do you want?!" Mulder growled, wincing at the pain in his head.

"I'm Duane Barry." He said in an eerily calm voice.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Mulder became aggravated, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

"I waited all weekend for you to come back from wherever you went on Friday. I haven't seen the redheaded doctor in a few days and had to adjust my plans. You, are the key to getting her." Barry flashed an unnerving smile that caused a chill to run down Mulder's spine.

Mulder knew this man standing before him was psychotic, to say the least. He could see it in his eyes. He didn't know what he wanted with Scully, or what his intentions even were with him, but he knew he wasn't going to let him get near her. He had to slip into psychologist Fox Mulder, and gage the situation.

"What makes you think I'm your key to this redheaded doctor?" Mulder asked cautiously.

"I've been watching her. I know that she is going to save us, when the aliens come. I've done my research, and she's the one. The one to save us. I need her." He responded, pacing nervously.

It was then that Barry's words hit a realization with Mulder. He paled as the pieces began to come together to form a horrific puzzle. This madman was after Scully because of him. His newest book caused Barry to tip over the edge of insanity. He needed to come up with a plan, and fast. He wasn't bringing Scully into this if he could prevent it. He wanted to protect her from the mess that he indirectly created, and needed to find a way to get through to Duane Barry.

The only thing Mulder knew for sure in this moment, was that he was going to miss his phone date with Scully today.


	8. Chapter 8

SAN DIEGO, CA

Scully woke the next morning still basking in the ecstasy of her surprise weekend with Mulder. As she prepped for her hectic day, she was slightly disappointed that she hadn't heard from him yet. She knew he had an early flight this morning, and thought he would at least call and leave a voicemail letting her know he landed. She shrugged her shoulders and made her way to work with the assumption that he might have just been delayed. If she hadn't heard from him by lunch, she would call him just to check in.

She arrived at headquarters just before 8, and the place was already buzzing. Just as everyone shuffled in, she heard Agent Carmichael begin the briefing. "I hope everyone is rested from the weekend, we are going full steam today. There have been reports of a kidnapping within our target area, and the young woman missing matches the suspect's MO. We are going to be working double time to hopefully catch him and bring her home safely. It's different than the original case, since now we have a live hostage. We know he stays within the target areas, so we will be canvasing every crevice on the map. We're going to catch this guy before it's too late for her, and I appreciate everyone's hard work. Dismissed."

Just as she was getting ready to escape to the morgue, Agent Carmichael stopped her. "Dr. Scully, may I have a word?"

"Yes, sir."

"We really need help nailing this perp's location. I need you to focus on anything that can help us determine where he's holding them. If you can give me an analysis of any particles on the body, and separate them by isolating what would be found from where the bodies were recovered, and what wouldn't, that would be a huge help. We need to find any links between them. I know it's a lot, since there are currently 4 victims, but we appreciate your expertise."

"Of course sir, I'll get right on it." She answered, stoically, trying to mask the tinge of exhaustion she could already feel flowing through her.

"Thank you, Dr. Scully. You're dismissed."

She made her way down to the morgue and knew she was in for a long day. She requested a lab tech to help her with the preparation of the bodies, and quickly made her way out to the quiet hall.

Hey Mulder, it's me. I haven't heard from you yet, so I thought I would just call to see if you got in okay. I'm going to be swamped today and don't know when I'm going to get another break. I'll try to call you later, I'm just not sure how much later it's going to be. Just, uh, call me when you get this, so I know you made it. I, um, I miss you already. Bye.

She whispered the last part, still slightly embarrassed for feeling so strongly for this man in such a short period of time. She shook her emotions, and slipped into the persona of Dr. Dana Scully, and walked back into the morgue.

* * *

UNKNOWN LOCATION

Mulder was already exhausted from the attack by his unexpected visitor waiting for him when he returned home. He was still fuzzy on how long he had been here, since he knew the blow to his head had caused him to lose some time. He knew that eventually Scully would begin to at least inquire about his whereabouts. He sighed at the thought that he wouldn't be able to keep her distant from this situation as he had hoped. He needed a plan that would get him out of this situation without having to involve Scully.

He looked around and didn't sense Duane Barry's presence, so now was his time to take in his surroundings and generate a plan. As he looked around he noticed the newspaper clippings of UFO sightings, abduction cases, and other paranormal phenomena that has ever occurred. He also caught a glimpse of every book that was ever written by M.F. Luder. His eyes widened and he now realized he had an upper hand. This madman didn't know just who he had strapped hostage to a dingy chair in the middle of this broken down apartment.

An hour later, Barry returned with what looked like food in his hands. He approached Mulder and began to unwrap the sandwich, silently. Mulder gaged his mood and had to begin the conversation cautiously.

"You brought me food?" Mulder asked, innocently.

"You're no good to me dead." He asked, still with an eery tone to his voice that made Mulder wince.

"So you're not planning to kill me? What is it that you want with me?"

"Her. I need the doctor and I've been watching her, with you. I know she'll come for you, but she hasn't been around. She's been gone I think."

Mulder let out a relieved sigh, finding some kind of solace in the fact that Barry didn't know where Scully currently was.

"I only met her a few days ago, I don't think I'm the right person to bring her to you."

"You are. I've seen the way she looks at you. She'll come."

"Why do you think she's the one you need?" Good job, Mulder. Keep him talking, he mentally praised himself.

"Because it's been proposed that it's her." He got up and dropped an article in Mulder's lap. "There, it says she's the one, and he knows the truth. He hides so the government doesn't come after him for what he knows. But he knows. I've read everything, and I've put the pieces together. I researched and she's the only one in this area that matches that description. It's her, it has to be her." Barry answered anxiously.

Mulder looked down at the article of the teased chapter of his newest novel, and closed his eyes in despair. He shook the feeling, he had to be on his game to outsmart the insanity flowing through Barry's mind.

"What makes you think that M.F. Luder knows the truth?"

"It's obvious. Only I seem to be the only one to see it, but it's obvious."

"What - what if I told you I know who M.F. Luder is." Mulder whispered.

"That's impossible, no one knows who he is." Barry answered, slight intrigue filling his voice.

"But what if I do. Would you listen to him, and not move forward on any plans against the doctor?"

Barry looked at him skeptically, but was more interested in what he had to say. He could see the distraught look on Mulder's face and knew that he wasn't lying. "Yes."

Mulder let out a heavy sigh, knowing what he had to do, and running every possible scenario through his head to create the best outcome for everyone. He knew this man was an avid fan, looking for what he believed to be the truth, and would stop at nothing to achieve it. He didn't want to reveal his identity to him, and risk everything he's ever worked for. He also knew that he would do what was necessary to prevent Scully from being brought into his mess. He had to make a sacrifice, and just then, the plan he had been searching for popped into his head.

"Okay, I can take you to him, but he doesn't like strangers. I would have to talk to him first, you understand."

"Yeah, yeah that makes sense. But he comes here. You'll call him here."

"Sure, I can make that work." Mulder nodded, trying to hide the mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Barry handed the phone to him, and Mulder began dialing the familiar number. "Lone Gunmen."

* * *

LONE GUNMEN'S BUILDING

"Hey it's me." Mulder's voice filled their phone.

"Mulder my man, hold on, let me turn off the recording." Langly answered.

"No, uh, no that's okay." Mulder answered with a slight edge to his voice.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" Byers chimed in. Him and Frohike picked up the other lines after seeing the confused look on Langly's face.

"I'm here, with a - a friend. He wants to meet you, well he wants to meet the man behind M.F. Luder." Mulder answered as calmly as possible. "He is more interested in meeting the doctor that is Daniela Skye, but agreed to meet with you first since she hasn't been around." He continued.

"Dr. Scully? This man is after Dr. Scully? Is she okay?" Frohike responded, piecing Mulder's hints together. He could tell he was under duress, and they were trying to grasp any information that they could.

"Perfect, that's great. I'll tell him that you will meet us tomorrow around 2? I will email you the address, thanks for doing this favor." Mulder responded before disconnecting the call.

The Gunmen knew that something was off about his phone call, especially since he was insinuating that he himself wasn't M.F. Luder. They ran through every possibility of what could have happened, but figured Mulder wouldn't need their help unless it was important. They traced the call, and pinpointed the location. He was smart enough to call from a landline, so they were able to attach the number to the name that the apartment was being rented by, Duane Barry. They ran a search on the name, and the results that stared back at them made them pale. His name appeared across UFO chatrooms, fan sites, and abduction support groups. He even had his own theories that were presented on blogs about how accurate every claim in M.F. Luder's books were.

The three tore their eyes away from the screen to exchange several sideways glances. They didn't know how to approach this, and knew that Mulder was in trouble. If this guy was holding him against his will, he wasn't going to let him go that easily. They needed to come up with a plan, but they knew they needed to contact Dr. Scully first. If she was truly who Barry was after, maybe she would have the key to getting Mulder back.

* * *

UNKNOWN LOCATION

As Mulder hung up the phone, he closed his eyes in realizing that he never told them to not contact Scully. He didn't want her involved, it wasn't her mess to be dragged into. He hoped that he would have the opportunity to send the email with the location before they contacted her.

"He agreed to meet tomorrow afternoon, so I just need to email him the location. Mind if I use your computer?" Mulder asked hopefully.

"Later." Barry answered, pacing around the room anxiously.

Mulder sighed and hoped that he would be able to keep his plan going accordingly. Then he had another thought. "Do you mind if I - I make another call then? If you plan to keep me here longer, I just need to contact someone, so nothing rises suspicion." He explained carefully.

Luckily, Barry was so inside his own head that Mulder's psychology tricks were working. "Yeah, sure. That makes sense." He said, handing the phone back to Mulder.

"Thanks. I just want everything to work out for everyone." He began dialing the number to her cell, hoping he only had to leave a voicemail. He didn't know if he would be able to mask the emotions in his voice if he talked to her in person. The beep of her answering machine brought him out of his thoughts.

 _Hey, Sc- It's me. I was just calling to let you know I made it back. I'm going to be out of a service area again, so I might not be reachable. I - I'll call you as soon as I can. Talk to you later._

With a distressed sigh, Mulder hung up the phone and hoped those weren't the last words that Scully would hear from him.

* * *

SAN DIEGO, CA

Scully had already spent her entire morning and part of her afternoon scraping every particle she could find from the four victims. She was dead tired on her feet, but wanted to get her part done as soon as possible. It wasn't until 3pm that she realized she hadn't eaten much for the day, and decided to take a small break to replenish. She made her way to the small, temporary office they provided for her while she was here, and retrieved her cell phone. She smiled as she has 3 voicemails, and began to play back her messages, hoping one of them was from Mulder.

 _Hello Dana, it's mom. I just talked to Tara and it sounds like you're having a good visit out there, even though you have to work. We have a lot to catch up on apparently, call me back. Love you._

Scully narrowed her eyes as she listened the amused tone in her mother's voice. If Tara slipped up and said anything about Mulder, she was going to kill her. She rolled her eyes and listened to the next message.

 _Hello, Dr. Scully. This is John Byers, from The Lone Gunmen, we met when you came to inquire about Mulder last week. We um, were wondering if you had heard from him. We think - we don't want to alarm you, but something seems wrong. We just talked to him, and he didn't seem like himself. From what he told us, it might have something to do with you, but we aren't sure. Please just call us back, when you can. We are just searching for some answers. Talk to you soon._

Scully's heart dropped, and she momentarily stopped breathing. No, nothing could be wrong. They had just spent an amazing weekend together, and he left in such a blissful mood. Her heartbeat increased and her breathing quickened as the next message began to play, and the familiar voice filled her ears.

 _Hey, Sc- It's me. I was just calling to let you know I made it back. I'm going to be out of a service area again, so I might not be reachable. I - I'll call you as soon as I can. Talk to you later._

Scully's world came crashing down into a state of confusion. She knew something was amiss and needed to get answers. She wanted to call Mulder back, but the number he called from was unfamiliar to her, and if he was in trouble, she didn't want to make matters worse. She picked up her cell phone with a shaky hand and called the Gunmen back.

"Lone Gunmen" Frohike answered.

"Hi, it's um, Scully, Dr. Scully." Her voice wavered despite the control she was trying to maintain.

"Dr. Scully, did you get our message? Have you heard from him?" Frohike answered anxiously.

"Yeah, he, uh, left me a voicemail shortly after yours. What's going on?"

"We received a suspicious call from him. It put us a little on edge, and we are just trying to get all the facts. We, uh, didn't want to worry you or overreact, but something seems off." Byers chimed in.

"What do you know?" She said in almost a whisper.

"We know that someone has him somewhere, maybe against his will. We've already pulled the cameras we have set up outside his apartment, and suspect who is doing this. We're running the tapes to get a time frame, but we don't really know where to start." Byers tried to explain as calmly as possible, he could hear the fear in her voice.

"He, uh, was flying back early this morning. I think he was supposed to land around 8am, east coast time. He - he came to see me this weekend." She choked back a sob.

"Okay, good. Now we have a time frame to work with. Thank you...are you okay?" Frohike asked cautiously.

The Gunmen weren't aware of the most recent developments in Mulder and Scully's relationship, they just knew that he was enchanted by this woman. Speaking with her now, they could tell that their acquaintanceship had become more, and could hear the sentiments in her voice. It was now understood that she felt the connection as strongly to him as he did her.

"I'm fine. I just want to know what's going on. Call me when you find out more." She disconnected the call and the Gunmen could hear the change in demeanor in her voice. She was retracting into herself and closing herself off to the feelings flowing through her body.

Scully slammed down the phone and closed her eyes tight to stop the tears from escaping. She needed to push away her feelings and transform back into work mode. She's never had a personal issue intervene with her professional life, and she quite frankly didn't know how to handle it. Just as she composed herself and was getting ready to finish her work, she was startled by Agent Carmichael standing at the office door.

"Agent Scully, I was just coming to see how things were coming along. I know it's a heavy workload, so I wanted to make sure it was going as smooth as possible for you." He asked as he took in the look of dismay on her face.

"Yes, sir. Everything's coming along fine. Thank you. I should actually have the analysis done by today, I only have one body to finish up." She answered, keeping her head low to avoid making eye contact with him.

Carmichael could tell that something during this young doctor's phone call caused her to be in a world of distress, but he dare not ask. This woman standing before him was not the one he ran into with a smile plastered on her face over the weekend. It wasn't even the aloof Dr. Scully he was used to dealing with. "Well, if that's the case, you'll be able to work more from home until we need anything else. Right now, the analysis is what we need, and until something else happens, we won't be needing you as hands on. That's actually what I came to talk to you about. I know you flew in from DC, and we are definitely grateful, but we also don't need to keep you here with no activity."

Scully's head flew up and her eyes grew. "Really? Once I'm done with the analysis, I - I can go home?"

"We really don't need you hanging around unless you want to. We wouldn't need you again until there's another body, but we are hoping it doesn't come to that point. I know if that is the case however, it would be a lot of flying for you, but that's your call." He nodded.

"Thank you, sir. I - I will try to finish up the analysis, either tonight or tomorrow, and probably head back to DC if nothing arises before then. I'll keep up on any developments in the case from home, as well."

"Sounds like a plan, I'll look for your report. Just let me know if there's anything else you need." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"I will. Thank you." She answered quietly.

Scully made her escape and charged back into the morgue. She was going to finish this analysis, as thoroughly as possible, and head back when it was complete. She began scraping the particles of the last young woman laying prone on her autopsy table, and found herself slipping back into her scientific Dr. Scully persona. With science, it was exact. She always had the solutions she was looking for, there was never any doubt. Science gave her straight answers, with no emotions attached. Science she could understand, and rely heavily on. Medicine was her truth, but now, she admitted to herself, so was Mulder. She needed both to feel like a whole person again, and fill the dark, empty void slowly invading her heart.

* * *

LONE GUNMEN'S BUILDING

The three were still searching for any kind of answer possible as to who this Duane Barry person was, and how dangerous he could potentially be. After talking to Scully, they were able to pinpoint when he took Mulder from his apartment building, and panicked when they saw that Mulder wasn't coherent during this conquest. It was understood then that Barry was going to extreme measures to get what he strived for, they just had to figure out what that was. The ding of a new email brought them all from their tasks at hand.

"I think it's from him, with the meeting location for tomorrow." Langly explained.

 _M.F.,_

 _Tomorrow, 2pm. Back alley by the chinese place we frequent on M street. You'll see me, then we head back here. Come alone._

 _Don't sound off the code red alarm._

 _M_

"Okay, so we have a location, but I'm not happy with it." Byers broke the silence.

"If he said to go alone, then he's only expecting one of us, but who?" Langly chimed in.

"Me. M.F. Melvin Frohike. It's why he didn't use the Luder last name in his address." Frohike sighed. "He's also going to kick our ass for telling Dr. Scully already." The others nodded in agreement.

Just as they were configuring a plan for tomorrow's meeting, their phone rang and they knew exactly who it was.

"Lone Gunmen." Byers answered.

"Hey, it's me. Dr. Scully. Any more news?" She answered shortly. Byers and Frohike winced at the grating tone of her voice.

"Dr. Scully, hi, yes, we have some new information." Byers paused, looking to the other two for help. They weren't supposed to involve Scully, per Mulder's request, but they knew she wouldn't back down that easily. The other two looked away and Byers rolled his eyes at the lack of help they were. "He contacted us, we are supposed to meet him tomorrow afternoon. That's all we know right now." He finished with a heavy sigh, hoping to sound convincing.

"I'm coming with you."

"No! You, uh, said you were out of town." Frohike interjected quickly.

"I'm putting in a late night so that I can finish everything up and then I'm heading back tomorrow morning. They don't need me here after I am done with this, so I'm coming with you." She answered with authority, daring them to challenge her.

"We don't know the situation at hand, and only one of us is allowed to approach him tomorrow. Frohike is going in, and Langly and I will be parked in our van with surveillance down the street. We don't want to endanger you. Mulder would kill us." Byers explained as calmly as possible.

"I'm the one who works with the FBI and is actually licensed to carry a gun, and you're worried about me being in danger? I was actually trained for this. I'm coming with you, and if you don't tell me what the plan is, I'll figure it out myself. Mulder is going to have bigger problems when we do finally get him back." She finished with an icy tone, causing the three to wince.

"Okay, okay. We will send you what we know, and meet up before we need to meet him." Frohike said before she disconnected the call. They all looked at each other and knew things weren't going as planned, but didn't have much of a choice. Both Mulder and Scully were stubborn, and without Mulder present to defend himself, Scully had the upper hand.

They made their plans and emailed her to keep her in the loop. Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day that no one was truly prepared for.

* * *

MEETING LOCATION

Scully's flight had arrived early the next morning, and she made her way directly to the Lone Gunmen's building. She had parted ways with Tara, providing as little information about what was happening as possible, and explained that she might be back if they needed her. Her sister-in-law understood, but could tell something was amiss. Scully dodged any line of questioning, and anxiously made her way back home. She met up with the Gunmen, and they set up the surveillance around the meeting area. She was to wait in the van with Langly and Byers, while Frohike moved forward, posing as M.F. Luder. As the time approached 2pm, her heart began racing, and she could feel the accompanying nervous energy of her partners.

"It's time." Frohike said, breaking everyone from their doubtful thoughts. He made his way out of the van, and began walking towards the alley they had set to meet at.

"This is ridiculous, if this man is dangerous, I should be out there." Scully hissed.

"No, that would be worse. Mulder said-" Langly was silenced by the look that Byers shot him.

"What? What don't I know?" Scully persisted.

Byers let out a shaky sigh, he knew he was going to lose this battle. "When Mulder first called us, he implied that this man was actually after you, so we searched harder. He's a crackpot UFO feen who actually believes the findings in Mulder's books. He - he thinks you're going to save us all from the aliens, like the character, Daniela Skye. He wrote an entire thesis on his theory in an online chatroom site. He's really after you, he just thought Mulder would bring you to him. He's been - uh, watching you."

With this information, Scully's face paled as she processed everything she was just told. This madman took Mulder because he was after her. He was only after her though because of Mulder's book, and he had been following her. If she hadn't become involved with him, this wouldn't have even happened. No, that wasn't fair, to blame him like that. She just couldn't move past the thought. This is why she keeps to herself, and doesn't let anyone intrude on her personal life. Sure, it's not a way to live, but it worked for her. She should have ran like she always does, detached herself before it was too late. These musings caused her to slip inside herself again, and close off to any emotions that may be trying to surge through her. She composed herself, and with no readable expression on her face, made her exit from the van.

"Dr. Scully! What are you doing?" Byers asked, perplexed by her sudden action.

"I'm going to end this. If it's me he wants, then that's what he's going to get." She pulled out her gun that she had fastened in her waistband holster. "I know what I'm doing, and I'll be cautious. If you hear any gunshots, call the police." She left briskly and made her way to the alley, leaving the two men shock still in the van.

As she approached the meeting spot, she tried to listen to the voices and gage how the situation was going. She didn't want to make herself seen without inspecting the predicament at hand. She was able to peer around the corner, staying hidden in the shadows, and the site before her caused her eyes to widen. Duane Barry had Mulder restrained with one arm around his chest in a chokehold, and his other hand had a gun pressed to Mulder's temple. Frohike was standing several feet in front of them with his hands up, mocking a surrender. None of them had prepared for how dangerous Barry could be. As she listened to the conversation occurring, she could hear Frohike answering questions that only M.F. Luder would know. Luckily, the Gunmen actually read the books, and they were so submerged in all things paranormal, that he was able to ease Barry's doubts about the man standing before him. It was the warning shot in response to Frohike's wrong answer that made Scully jump into action and emerge from the shadows.

"FBI, FREEZE!" She yelled with authority as she aimed her gun at Barry.

He moved his gun to her direction, but before he could pull the trigger, he froze at the site of her. He had always watched her from a distance, and to see her standing just in front of him, it caused his eyes to widen in disbelief. "You. You're here. I don't need them anymore, I have you." He mumbled, just before turning his gun to point directly at Frohike.

"Scully! No..." Mulder whispered just before the shot rang out.

It all happened in a flash, and Mulder was unable to comprehend the current happenings. He focused to try to piece everything together. Frohike, Scully, Gunshot, Pain. Nothing made sense, and he feared the worst. The last thing he remembered before darkness washed over him was whispering "Scully" before everything faded to black.

* * *

HOSPITAL

Byers called the police right after he heard the first warning shot that rang from Barry's gun. He panicked when he heard the second gun shot, and the sound of a body hit the ground. They had wired Frohike so that they were able to hopefully keep a handle on the situation, and heard the event unfold. They knew something was wrong when they heard Scully repeating Mulder's name in a soft, reassuring voice, telling him that everything was going to be fine.

It was later, when everyone arrived to the hospital in a flurry, and the police began questioning Scully, that they found out what truly happened in the back alley.

"I approached the situation and attempted to take a handle on the hostage predicament. The suspect did not drop his weapon after I made my credentials clear, and aimed at the other bystander. I didn't have a clear shot to only the suspect, as he used the hostage as a shield, so I made a decision. I'm a precise shot, and a medical doctor as you know, so I used my combined expertise to take action in the only way I saw fit, sir. I - I shot the hostage in the shoulder, since the suspect was slightly taller than him, so that it would hit the suspect in the chest or throat, provided there were no sudden movements. I knew the gunshot to the hostage would be a through and through, and didn't suspect that there would be lasting damage. I know it's definitely not protocol, and I'm willing to subject myself to any consequences to my actions." She explained confidently, hiding the worry wavering in her voice.

"Dr. Scully, I will admit this wasn't exactly a routine situation, and you should have come to me for backup, but you did save two innocent people. As I'm sure you heard, the shot went straight through Mulder and was a direct hit to Duane Barry's heart." AD Davis answered in response. "As your direct supervisor, however, I do have to reprimand you for your foolish actions. I'm thinking a week of administrative leave, paid." He continued with a small smile curving at his lips.

"Sir?" Scully looked up, perplexed.

"Between you and me, Dr. Scully, Mulder is a good friend of mine. You very well may have saved his ass today, and if I know him, he won't exactly be pressing charges. Have you - did you meet him before today?" Davis asked.

Scully looked down to hide the color creeping on her cheeks. She cleared her throat to hide the smirk merging on her face. "Uh, yes, actually. I, he, we've been spending some time together recently. We've become close - friends, in the few days that we've known each other."

Davis' smile spread to consume most of his face. He hadn't put two and two together until now, but it must have been Mulder that put the grin he secretly caught on her face a few days ago in her office. He was amused by this information, considering he knew them both, and would have never imagined them to compliment each other so perfectly. "Well, then I'm guessing you know who he is, what he does." He continued, as she nodded in response. "Then you should know that he broke his number 1 rule for you, if he hasn't told you already."

"His rule?" She asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Yeah, he's got this entire list of rules he supplied for himself to follow to keep his writing style unique. His number 1 rule was to never meet his muse, but I can clearly tell that's been broken. It's amusing, when I approved for him to observe your class, I never would have guessed that you'd ever let him even get close enough to think about breaking his rule. Funny how things work out." He was amused to see the shocked expression on her face, and the color rise to her cheeks again. "Well, I better get this report filed and this case closed. Good work today, I'll see you next Monday. Goodbye Dr. Scully." He walked away, with a sly grin on his face, leaving her standing dumbfounded in the hallway of the hospital.

While Mulder was still recovering from surgery, she went for a walk, she needed to get lost in her thoughts. She didn't know how to process anything that had happened today, and it made her question whether or not this was the disaster that she anticipated. She knew it wasn't fair to blame Mulder for any of the events that occurred, and she didn't. She also didn't know if continuing their relationship was the wisest decision. She admitted to herself that she was falling for him, but she never wanted to fall so hard that she lost herself. In the last week, she felt like she had done just that. She didn't know who this giddy, open person was. She also had to fight to maintain the Dr. Scully facade at work, and not let any of her personal feelings be exposed, which is something she's never had to worry about before. She felt a new sense of vulnerability, and it wasn't welcomed. That's just not who Dana Katherine Scully was. Now, with the new information that Davis had told her, Mulder had acted out of character as well, which could have affected the only way he knew how to work. She knew what course of action was necessary to lead to what she believed would result in the best outcome for everyone involved, before it was too late. She made a quick phone call and walked back inside the hospital to the waiting faces of the Gunmen.

"He's awake, they moved him from recovery back to his room. He's asking for you." Byers said quietly.

Scully nodded her thanks and made the way back to Mulder's room. She walked with purpose and a straight face to keep the confidence in her decision. She approached his door, and became instantly overcome with emotions. She placed her hand on the door to steady herself, and closed her eyes to mask the tears before they could fall. She let out a shaky sigh and entered his room.

"Scully..." He smiled and whispered, still groggy from the medication they had pumping through his IV.

"Hey, I'm glad you're okay. I know that probably wasn't the homecoming you were expecting." She attempted to let out a small smile and keep the mood light so that he didn't detect the wavering of her voice. No such luck.

"I am okay, thanks to you." He answered cautiously, trying to detect her mood. He had seen many different sides of Dana Scully but this one was new to him. This Scully was scared, terrified, the fear so evidently shining in her eyes. "What's wrong, Scully?"

She closed her eyes as a lone tear escaped down her cheek. She didn't know how to do this, especially to a man who she cared so deeply for. "I'm fine. I've just been thinking. I - uh, I think we should slow down, on whatever this is. Today put a lot of things in perspective for me, and I - I just need a break, some time for myself."

Mulder panicked, and immediately sobered despite the pain medication flowing through him. He watched as she retracted into herself and pushed him away. She was so far in her own reclusive mind, he didn't know if he could pull her back. "No, Scully. Please..." He said, anxiously reaching for her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Mulder. I just need some time. I have a leave this week, so I'm going to spend my time back in San Diego. That way I can be close to the case, and just, get away from all of this. I'm glad you're okay, I - I'll call you." She leaned down and placed a soft kiss to his temple and made her exit before he could protest further.

Mulder laid helpless in his hospital bed, feeling like he was the one with the bullet in his heart.


	9. Chapter 9

FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT

Mulder had been released from the hospital, and was left to contemplate his eventful past week in a quiet apartment. He couldn't figure out how everything had gone so wrong so quickly. Scully had called only once to make sure he was settled at home okay after his release, but she wasn't really present for that brisk conversation. It was almost like she was just a doctor checking up on her patient.

He restlessly stared at his TV screen and pondered on the recent events that occurred. Mulder knew that he had to approach the Scully situation delicately. He had been observing her for almost 2 months now, and he thought he had seen every side to this complicated woman, but he was wrong. He honestly didn't want to force her to come to terms with her feelings before she was ready, because he knew that would lead to her running and never looking back. He had found some solace in the fact that she actually called to check in on him.

He didn't know much about her past relationships, as he never pressured her to talk about them. What he did know, was that he himself was the closest to get to her in a recent while. Mulder smiled at this fact, thinking that once Dana Scully opened herself up to you, it was a beautiful experience.

He analyzed everything he had gathered from her over their time together to figure out how to play his next move. Fox Mulder was not a patient man, but he had to be in relation to Dana Scully. He had gathered that she was very skeptical about anyone that she invited to experience her on a personal level, and if you were granted that permission, you should hold onto it in any way that you can. He had also noticed that she can close herself right back up almost at twice the speed that she opened herself up in the first place.

He sighed and was at a loss as to how to proceed in his current predicament. She had asked for space, and that he had granted her, but he didn't know just how much space was too much to permanently lose her from his life. That was simply not an option.

Mulder was brought out of his musings of Scully by the incessant ringing of his phone.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, it's Bianca. You know, your publisher who you've been ignoring for the last week." She said with direct annoyance.

"I'm not ignoring you, I've just been...busy."

"Well I hope you've been busy approving the final artwork for the book. It's set to release in three weeks and we need all the final edits, plus your dedication if you have one."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll finish it tomorrow and send it over." Mulder let out a heavy sigh. "I've got nothing better to do anyway."

"Whatever slump you're in, you need to get over it. You haven't even given me the first chapter of the second book of this series. What's going on?" She asked, with a tinge of concern in her voice.

"Let's just say I've hit a tiny road bump with my inspirations. Look, I gotta go, lots of work to do. I'll email you when I'm done."

He disconnected the call before she could ask any more questions. Bianca had been his publisher since his career took off 8 years ago, and had become a friend. He knew she would pry into what had him so far off his game, and she wouldn't be happy about it. She was, after all, the one who suggested that he make his rule to never get too close to his muses.

As Mulder pulled out his computer and began to approve all the final edits of his book, the most brilliant idea popped into his head. He knew exactly how he was going to get through to Dana Scully.

* * *

SAN DIEGO, CA

Scully had been in San Diego for the rest of her week, and her mother was planning to come and visit with her and Tara for the weekend, then fly back home with her on Sunday. She had touched base with the team working the case when she first got back to town, and was told they had a huge break. The suspect was arrested the next day, and the missing girl that was taken was found alive. Despite the relief she felt from the solving of the case, she was almost disappointed that she wouldn't have work to throw herself into to escape her own thoughts.

Tara could tell that something was amiss when she returned, because when she asked about Mulder, Scully brushed off the subject and changed topics. She didn't want to intrude on what she could tell was obviously a personal matter, so she would wait for Maggie Scully to do so this weekend.

"We should get going to pick up mom from the airport, fight the traffic a little." Tara announced.

"What? Oh, yeah, fine. Do you need any help getting the baby in the car?" Scully answered, not fully engaging in the conversation.

"Yeah, you can just grab the diaper bag for me by the door. I was thinking we would go out to dinner tonight on our way home? It'll be good for you to get out..." Tara's voice trailed off.

Scully had not left the house much since she returned. Tara had suggested many cliche tourist attractions for her to partake in, but she never accepted any of the offers. She mostly kept to herself and slumped around the house. Whenever Tara asked, she would just say she was enjoying her time off, so she never pried further.

"Sure, fine. Let me go change before we go." She solemnly made her exit to her room.

Scully needed to momentarily escape to grasp the last piece of solitude she was going to be able to enjoy. She knew that her mom visiting was more a suggestion on Tara's part, to hopefully break her from whatever funk she was in. She composed herself and let out a heavy sigh, knowing everything was going to come pouring out of her at some point in the next few days. Despite how old she was and how hard she tried, she could never truly hide herself from her mother.

They had picked up Maggie from the airport, and enjoyed a relatively quiet dinner. Scully wasn't so much the conversationalist during the evening, so Tara and her mother mostly carried out the dinner discussions. She could tell her mother's interrogation was coming by the glances she received across the table. She tried to muster a smile and an occasional comment, but her heart just wasn't in it.

They returned back to Tara's house to settle in for an early evening. It took absolutely no time at all for her mother to gesture for her to sit next to her on the couch so she could begin her questioning. Scully figured she better get comfortable.

"Dana, is everything okay? You seem a little distant." Maggie asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, mom." Scully answered quickly. Too quickly for her mother's liking, causing her to receive the raised eyebrow look she knew too well.

"Dana, I don't know what's going on, and Tara hasn't told me much, but I haven't seen you this distraught, maybe ever. Something is obviously wrong."

Scully let out an exasperated sigh, she knew there was no escape from this. She couldn't wallow in her own feelings anymore, despite how much she may have wanted to.

"Mom, it's nothing, really. I - I met a guy recently. He's, different, than guys I've dated before. I don't know, things moved rather quickly, and I guess, it wasn't what I thought it was initially." She managed to stammer out.

"It wasn't what you thought it was, or wasn't what you were hoping for?"

"It was more than I could hope for." Scully said in a small whisper just under her breath. She closed her eyes to try to gain her composure before she continued. "I guess we just, fell into things too quickly and it didn't turn out the way that I thought. That I'm used to."

"You mean, you didn't automatically run away from him?" She asked peering at her daughter over the edge of her tea cup.

"Oh, I ran. But I've never felt this horrible about my decision. I'm so used to detaching myself from the situation before it can cause me any hurt, which is I guess what I did in this instance. I've only known him for a short time, and I didn't imagine it would be this hard to fall into the pattern that I've become oh so accustomed to."

"What made this man different?" Maggie asked with genuine interest in her voice. She had never seen her daughter so shaken up before, especially over a guy, and wanted to know just who had managed to break down her daughter's walls.

Scully smiled to herself. "I was, different when I was with him. I'm so used to having to be Dr. Dana Scully, serious professional, that I forgot who I am outside of my work persona. I guess I even carried it over into the small personal life that I had. He, he just challenged me in a way that was exhilarating, and fun. I don't remember a time that I've ever felt so carefree." She paused, a shadow of fear slowly crept over her face. "That's what scared me. I got lost in this person that I didn't recognize, and that's who he started to fall for. It's like I was living an alternate life and it's that person that he was interested in. That's not the real me, it's only when I'm with him. I can't - I don't think I can be that person all the time, and it wouldn't be fair to him." She finished, fighting back the tears that were attempting to escape her eyes.

Maggie wanted to reach out and grab her daughter, pull her into her lap for comfort like she used to when she was a little girl. She hadn't seen her daughter so vulnerable and lost as to a solution before. That's when she knew exactly what to do to break her from her reverie.

"Dana, have I ever told you about when your father and I first met?"

"I've heard about your first date a million times, mom. What does this have to do with-?" She closed her mouth in response to the look her mother gave her.

"Our first date, yes. But not our first meeting. See, your father was always much the impassive man you knew too well. He didn't always share his emotions, and had a hard time letting others see what feelings were passing through him." She paused, watching her daughter absorb the familiarity that washed over her. She was, after all, her father's daughter in this respect. "Well, when we first met, I made him work for me. He asked me out, as serious as he was, and I told him no, several times. He then courted me for two weeks, and in those two weeks I was introduced to a man that few people had the pleasure to experience. He bought me small gifts, and threw me cheesy lines. He opened himself up to me, and let me see this ulterior side to him. He said that I brought out the best in him, and that's the person he hoped he could always be, for me. As cliche as that was, it was the most intimate thing we've ever shared." She smiled to herself and looked up to see the tears falling from Scully's face that matched her own.

They both sat in a comfortable silence in memory of the husband and father so recently taken from them. Maggie grabbed Scully's hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Honey, all I'm asking is, was it such a bad thing to let him see this side of you?"

Scully thought for a moment before responding, scared of her own answer. "No, it wasn't. He made me feel alive again. I hadn't realized that I was just going through daily motions, but not really living. I'm just, terrified. I've never felt like this before, and these unfamiliar sentiments are what is making me want to run screaming."

"Do you think that he won't accept every side of you?" Maggie asked cautiously. She had never met the man, and had hardly anything to work from to reassure her daughter. She had to just play everything carefully, and keep Scully talking until she came to her own conclusion.

"He's definitely seen every side of me. He, uh, well I guess he met me as Dr. Scully, at Quantico..." Her voice trailed off, thoughts forming in her head. "He met me as Dana 'Ice Queen' Scully and still pursued me. He was interested before, and just brought out the other person in me. He - he fell for both sides of me. Oh, god. I'm such an idiot." Scully exclaimed, more so to herself than in response to her mother. She buried her face in her hands as she mentally evaluated just how wrong she had been.

Maggie smiled as she had struck just the right chord to make the melody of realization play in her daughter's mind.

"Well then, I can't tell you what to do, Dana, but I hope that you give this man another chance. From what I've heard, he makes you happy, and I approve of anyone that is able to do so. I've also heard he's quite handsome." Maggie said as a smirk appeared on her face and her eyes gleamed at her daughter.

"Mom! I'm not discussing him with you anymore, and stop talking to Tara." Scully said in a mock embarrassment. She sobered, and let a small smile touch her lips. "Thank you. I needed to talk about it, despite how much I didn't want to. I don't think I would have made the connections without being forced to dwell in my thoughts." She teased lightly and kissed her mother on the cheek, making her way upstairs to escape to her room.

Scully had an important phone call to make, she just hoped too much space wasn't created. As she paced around the room, dialing the familiar number, she began to lose confidence. She didn't know how understanding he would be, given their current situation and her lack of enthusiasm to fix it. Her heart dropped and she felt the sorrow flood through her as she heard the message play back in her ears.

 _The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected. If you feel you've reach this recording in error, please hang up, and try your call again._

* * *

FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT

Once Mulder had stumbled upon his inspiration to get through to Scully, he had disconnected everything in his apartment to maintain this perseverance and crack down on writing his second book of the series. He was in such a writing flow that he couldn't break from this thought process. It was also a nice change from sulking in his own concerns about the situation, and he needed a break from letting his mind wander too far. He spent the entire evening and most of the next few days alternating between writing and sleep. It wasn't really until the Sunday night that he realized he had completely gone off the grid from everything, and everyone.

He had accomplished writing a good majority of his second book over the weekend, and had a solid start to a draft to give to his publisher. Mulder had finally decided to join the real world again and break out of the fantasy world that he produced in his mind.

He reconnected everything, and finally checked his email. He had several from Bianca, since he forgot to send in his final edits on Friday like he had promised, and a few from the Gunmen checking in on him. He was more surprised that they didn't make their way over to see if he was still alive. He was instantly saddened by the lack of communication from Scully. Mulder knew that he shouldn't have expected it, but was almost disappointed that there wasn't even another attempt to check in on him.

Despite the doubt that was creeping through him, he continued on with his plan to break the space that she had created between them. Their initial meeting had been fueled by mystery and intrigue from the puzzles that he challenged for her to solve, and this would be no different.

Just as he finalized and sent everything off to his publisher, he jumped at the sound of his phone ringing. He had forgotten just how disconnected he had become over the weekend.

"Yeah, Mulder." He said hurriedly, fumbling with the phone.

"Mulder...It, it's me. Scully..." She responded in a cautious whisper.

There was a heavy silence that filled the air, as he didn't quite know what to respond. He hadn't expected to hear from her, and honestly couldn't believe that he was.

"Hello?" She said breaking the stillness, worry filling her voice.

"Yeah, uh, sorry. I - I wasn't expecting to hear from you." He said as passive as he could. He didn't want to give away how excited he was to talk to her, and wanted more to gage where she stood on their current relationship, or lack thereof.

"Oh. I tried calling this weekend, but the number said it was disconnected. I, um, just thought I'd try again once I got home. I just wanted to see how you were doing." He could almost hear a sadness to her voice, but didn't want to make a hopeful assumption.

"I'm doing great. I actually got a lot of work done this weekend with so much free time on my hands." He said excitedly.

"That's good. Sounds like you needed the time alone then." She scoffed almost bitterly at the chipper tone in his voice. She wasn't really hoping that he would be as broken down about their time apart as she was, but she hadn't expected him to be so happy about it.

"I guess so, it's been rather constructive. How was your time off?" He asked in an innocent voice. He could tell that she wasn't happy about him being so productive with his time off, and knew he had her just where he wanted her for his plan to work.

"It was fine. I have to go though, I was just checking in. I'll talk to you later, if you're not too busy. Goodbye, Mulder." She hung up before he could answer, and was instantly irritated. Damn him for handling this better than she was.

He smiled to himself as he heard the annoyance in her voice, that was the stubborn woman he was infatuated with. He couldn't wait to have his plan play out, and watch her smile again because of him.

* * *

THREE WEEKS LATER  
DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT

It had been almost a month since she had heard from Mulder, and had realized that she was the only one to blame for their distance. She had called him when she returned from her time off in San Diego, but he didn't seem too interested to talk with her. Of course, that could have been because she was instantly turned off by the conversation upon hearing how well he was doing during their time apart.

Dana Katherine Scully was a stubborn and prideful woman, and didn't want to express to him just how hurt she had been by their separation, so she distanced herself further.

She started back to work that following Monday and threw herself into her coursework. She did so well on the active case in California, that she had been asked to assist on a current case right here in D.C., that way she didn't have to interrupt her teachings. She was happy to have the distractions, so that her distraught feelings from her time apart from Mulder didn't seem so blatantly obvious.

As she made her way home after a long week of wrapping up the current case, and grading midterms, she found a package sitting on her doorstep. She furrowed her brow as to what it could be, since she hadn't ordered anything, and no one had mentioned for her to look out for something coming in the mail.

She settled herself inside and got comfortable for the evening, leaving the package momentarily unopened and forgotten on the coffee table. When she finally made her way back to her couch with a cup of tea, she turned on an old movie and curled her feet under her.

She looked down at the package sitting on the table in front of her, and was instantly intrigued as to what it was. There was no return address, and just her name had been typed on the front of the oddly shaped envelope, so she couldn't recognize the handwriting. There was also no stamp or address on the envelope, she noticed, so it must have been dropped off personally. That thought made her feel slightly uneasy, given the Duane Barry ordeal, with him watching her for so long unnoticed. She shook those thoughts from her mind, and cautiously picked up the package.

When she opened it, she let a small smile touch her lips. It was a finished copy of Mulder's newest book. She ran her fingers gently over the front cover and found some reassurance that she hadn't completely ruined their relationship. Wishful thinking would say that this was his way of telling her he missed her, but she knew that was too much to hope for.

She opened the front cover and turned the first page, because she could tell there was something wedged between the book. A small card and what looked like a ticket fell out onto her lap. She began to open the small card, but the outside note caught her eye.

 _Read the dedication first._

She flipped to the next page where she found the dedication, and a small tear escaped her eye as she read the words that stared back at her.

 _S,_

 _I found my truth in you._

 _I hope you find your truth amongst the stars._

 _M_

She brushed the tear away with her hand, and reread the inscription. She didn't know what the direct meaning was, but she knew that if it was Mulder, it was a puzzle for her to solve. She smiled and reveled in how familiar this felt, and how much she truly missed it. She then opened the card and finished reading his personalized note.

 _You finally have your own copy, so you don't have to steal other people's. Enjoy 'dissecting' my message, and I hope to see you tomorrow._

The smile on Scully's face spread to a full grin as she read his words. She rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself at his cheesy attempt at humor, and picked up the ticket to read the details. It was for an exclusive, special book release for the newest novel. When she read the details, she was confused as it stated that 50 lucky fans would win access. She couldn't imagine Mulder revealing who he was to such avid fans, but knew he would be there if he was expecting to see her.

This was the first time Scully felt such a lightness flow through her and knew she couldn't wait to see what tomorrow brought.

* * *

BOOK RELEASE

Scully made her way to the popular bookstore that the book release was being held at, and felt anxious to see Mulder again. She was excited and nervous, since she hadn't talked to him in almost a month, and knew she had some major apologizing to do. She found some relief in how sincere Mulder's gift that she received yesterday was, and hoped that he wasn't going to hold her silence and distance against her.

When she arrived inside, she made her way through the lingering crowd to get a better view of the setup. She could see that towards the front of the store, there was a stack of the new novel, and a giant cardboard poster of the cover. She could also see a chair positioned next to it, and read the sign that said there was to be a reading by a close confidant of M.F. Luder.

She scanned the room, but couldn't see anyone that she recognized. She noticed that the back of the bookstore had been dimmed slightly to bring the focus to where the action was in the front. Just as she was about to turn her attention to the speaker that came out on the floor, a sign above the back section caught her eye.

It read, _"A writer is a world trapped in a person,"_ and was printed on an overlay of an image of stars in the night sky. When her gaze travelled just below the poster, she noticed a man hanging back in the shadows, and smiled at the familiar figure.

Luckily for Scully, she wasn't very tall and was able to hide amongst the crowd to make her way to the back of the store. She crept towards him, and observed him from afar. She smiled at herself upon realizing that he hadn't seen her make her entrance, noticing that he seemed to be looking around for her. She escaped from the crowd and was able to sneak behind a bookcase that came up just behind where Mulder was standing.

"You know, I once heard that writing is a socially acceptable form of getting naked in public." She spoke softly as she approached from behind him to stand at his side.

"Funny, coming from someone who works in a field where it's always acceptable for her patients to get naked to see her." He joked back, they both smiled to themselves at the familiar banter, though neither making eye contact with each other yet.

"You have a good turnout here, I'm sure all these fans are going crazy to read the newest book."

"Yeah, I actually don't usually come to my own book releases. You know, the whole tall, dark and mysterious thing, but I have a date tonight." He said taking a sideways glance at her reaction. He noticed that her face instantly fell, and his plan was failing fast. This wasn't going as smoothly as he had hoped and cursed himself for not making it more obvious. He should have known that there was a cloud of doubt hanging over their current status, as he himself didn't really know where they stood, but he knew he needed to let her know exactly how he felt. He nudged her with his shoulder lightly, "Well that is, if she accepts my offer."

She shot her head up to face him, and a tiny smile curved at her lips. She had been doubting where their relationship was, or even if it was at all anymore, and knew that it falling so off course was her doing. She didn't expect Mulder to give her another chance, and came here this evening just hoping to explain things to him for some closure. If he still wanted to see her, that would have been the ultimate added bonus.

"I thought, I don't know, that you were upset with me." She said in a small voice.

"I wasn't upset with you, Scully. I was upset with the situation and the fact that I couldn't really do anything to fix it. You asked for space, and I wanted to give you that so you could figure out whatever you needed to, even if that meant walking away from me." He answered solemnly.

"Oh, Mulder. I shouldn't have walked away though, I was such an idiot." She bowed her head, and let out a heavy sigh, plowing through her thoughts before she lost all confidence. "The truth is, this scared me. Whatever we have, or had. I've never felt this strongly for someone before, and I honestly didn't know how to handle it. I am such a different person when I'm with you, almost unrecognizable for me, and I didn't think it was fair to you if I couldn't always be that person."

"No, Scully..." He interrupted, closing the space that separated them and pulling her into an embrace. She placed her hands on his chest and closed her eyes.

"Mulder, please - I need to finish this." She felt him nod in understanding. Keeping her gaze staring at his chest to avoid eye contact, she continued. "I thought that that's the person you wanted to be with, the person that you were interested in. I had it in my head that you would walk away the minute that you met the real me - the closed off, impersonal me that most people meet. So I walked away first, before I could let you close enough to hurt me. But that plan failed, and by distancing myself from you, I ended up hurting myself. I'm so sorry, Mulder. I understand if this isn't what you want anymore, or if I assumed too much and this wasn't really what you wanted in the first place, or if -" Her stuttering was stopped by his lips capturing hers in a soft kiss.

"If you don't know how much I care for you, I'm definitely doing something wrong. I thought dedicating my book to you, having the main character based on you, and flying cross country to see you would imply something, but you're really making me work for it, Scully." He teased, smiling down at her, and heard her let out a small chuckle.

"When you put it like that, it makes me sound so - stubborn." She responded with a grimace on her face.

"Oh, definitely stubborn." He said as he kissed the tip of her nose. "But it's one of the things I adore about you. Just like I love to observe you switch demeanors depending on the situation at hand. It fascinates me, and always keeps me guessing. I also love how you keep me on my game, I've had to really try here, Scully. It's been a while since I've had to dabble in the full Mulder Charm." He winked at her and placed another small kiss on her lips.

She chuckled and let herself fully relax into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist. "So, does that mean I get to see more of this Mulder Charm you seem to think so highly of?" She questioned as her eyebrow began to raise and a smirk appeared on her lips.

"Oh yeah, I've got big plans for you." He wagged his eyebrows.

"Mulder, I really am sorry for how I acted. I just need you to know that. But I'm glad that we're back to this point, I - I'm looking forward to wherever this relationship goes." She said in almost a shy whisper.

"It's okay, I care too much about you to have just let you walk away without a fight." He lifted her chin up and planted a kiss that expressed every emotion passing between them. There were no longer any misunderstandings as to what they meant to one another. Their truths were revealed in this intimacy that they shared. He broke away and looked down at his redheaded, complex muse who turned his world upside down in the best way possible, and smiled.

"Besides, I wasn't going to let you get too far. I still have two more books to write."


	10. Chapter 10

QUANTICO, VA

It had been a few weeks since the book release, and Mulder found himself completely addicted to Scully in that time. They had spent almost every day together, getting their relationship back on track. They both knew that their relationship was moving rather fast, but neither was willing to pull on the brakes. Mulder made his way over to Quantico to meet her for lunch, and ran into a familiar face along the way.

"Davis!" He yelled from across the courtyard.

"Mulder, good to see you. What are you doing here?" AD Davis asked, feigning innocence. He had suspected that they were dating, based on the recent change in demeanor of the usual stoic Dr. Scully. Their relationship hadn't been a public announcement yet, other than the small tidbits that Scully disclosed to her family.

"I, uh - I was just following up on some things. You know, working on my second book in the series." Mulder answered cautiously. He knew that Scully was apprehensive about making their relationship public so soon. He didn't want to overstep in her work place if she wasn't ready.

"I see." Davis replied with an all-knowing smirk on his face. "Well, I'll let you get to it." Before he dismissed him, a brilliant idea popped into Davis' head, and he had to try to suppress the amused grin forming on his lips. "Hey, actually, I would like to invite you to the annual FBI Holiday Ball. It might give you a chance to find your next muse, and you can bring a date, of course." Davis said, basking in the pure entertainment value of the situation.

"Oh, I didn't know you had an annual thing, hadn't heard about it." Mulder said, slightly hurt that Scully hadn't mentioned it to him. He shook those thoughts, thinking she would have said something if she were planning to go, right?

"Well now you have, I'll send you the info, and put your name with a plus one on the list. Hopefully I'll see you there next week." Davis said, still trying to mask the amusement he knew was so evident on his face. From what he could tell, Scully hadn't spoken to Mulder about their conversation in the hospital just yet.

"Uh, yeah, thanks. Maybe you will." Mulder smiled a small smile and made his way to Scully's office.

As he peered around the corner, he could see her office door just slightly open, and caught a glimpse of her sitting deep in thought at her desk. He took a moment to gaze at her through the small sliver, and smiled to himself. She was sitting there, with her glasses on the end of her nose, and what looked like grading papers. This was work Scully, and he loved having the opportunity to catch glimpses of her.

"Knock, knock, doc." He said, sauntering into her office.

"Jesus, Mulder. You scared me. I was just finishing this up." She said startled, as she tried to compose herself.

"Sorry." He chuckled as he moved closer to her, just close enough to lean down and place a small kiss on her lips.

"Mulder, someone could see us." She said, breaking the kiss immediately and backing away.

"Would that be such a bad thing? We've been dating for a little while." He said, trying to mask the offended tone in his voice. He was still sulking in his feelings about the earlier conversation with Davis, and began to glance around the office for evidence of the upcoming event. He found the newsletter for the announcement peeking out from under a stack of papers sitting on her desk.

"I know, but I just - I don't know if I'm ready for that next step. Mulder, I haven't dated anyone, really, since my academy days and..." Her voice began to drift off, not wanting to head into that conversation, but knowing he would keep up his persistence if she didn't give him an answer that satisfied his curiosity. "That didn't end as well as I had hoped. Plus, everyone knew what happened, and I'm not ready for people I work with to be in my business again." She finished with a wince.

"Ah, so there's a reason behind the madness then." He said teasingly, but with genuine interest. They hadn't really spoken about past relationships, because they were enjoying the light heartedness of their new foundation. "It's okay, Scully. I was just wondering." He said with a shrug, as he pretended to lose his balance and knock off the stack of papers from the corner of her desk.

"Mulder, I can't take you anywhere." She said with a small chuckle, as she began to help him pick up the strewn papers.

"It's all part of the Mulder charm, Scully. It comes with the whole package." He said as he winked at her. "Oh, what's this? Annual FBI Holiday Ball. Should I be polishing my dancing shoes?"

"Oh, um, I wasn't planning on going. I never go, just not my thing." She said in a small whisper, trying to avoid the issue.

"Come on, Scully. It could be fun, you should go."

"Would you not be planning to come with me?" She said, as her eyebrow began to arch. He knew he had her, by implying that she should go alone, she would insist that he come along. He didn't think it was fair to use some of his psychological mind tricks with her, especially since they didn't always work, but when they did, it had a great outcome for everyone.

"Well I would love to go with you, I accept your invitation. Come on, let's go grab lunch, I'm starving." He said before turning his back and exiting her office.

She was left standing there, completely confused about the events that just transpired. Somehow, Mulder had tricked her into going to the stupid ball, with him as her escort. She scoffed in disbelief, and knew it was time for payback.

"We should go to that Italian restaurant we went to, on our first 'date.' I remember them having a pretty good lunch menu." She said with innocence in her voice as she caught up to him. He stopped in his tracks, and his eyes widened. He had barely escaped awkward run-ins the first time, and didn't want to chance it again.

"Uh, there's another place that's a little closer, so you can get back sooner." He tried to dodge the issue.

"That's okay, my next class isn't for a few hours, and I need the break." She said with an innocent smile she knew he couldn't refuse.

He sighed with resignation, and nodded slightly as he escorted her to the car. She had to suppress the small smirk beginning to form on her lips. If he was going to push her more out of her comfort zone, so was she.

ITALIAN RESTAURANT

When they finally arrived at the restaurant, it was relatively busy for the lunch hour. They made their way inside, and Mulder leaned in to speak with the hostess, out of Scully's ear range. They were shown to a back table, in the corner, hidden away from the main busyness.

"I see you really pulled out the stops for prime seating, Mulder. Is this all part of that charm as well?" She said with her eyebrow raising. She could tell he was uncomfortable, and she almost felt bad for him. Almost.

"I, uh, figured it would be nicer back here, quieter." He smiled nervously. Perhaps she underestimated just how much Mulder didn't want to be here. Just as he was about to speak again, his mouth closed, and his face paled as he glanced over Scully's shoulder.

"Mulder, what's wron-?" Before she could finish her question, a woman appeared at their table, with the same expression on her face that was bestowed upon his. Scully wanted to ask for clarification, but she didn't need it. She could sense that there was history between these two, one that was not often spoken about.

"Fox, it - it's good to see you." She said with a small whisper.

"Yeah, you, too. I, uh, didn't know you were back from Italy. I thought that was a permanent thing." He said matching her tone, but trying to hide the emotions in his voice.

"It was, but I came back for personal reasons. I've been back for about a year. I tried contacting you, but you must have changed your number from the last one I had." Scully watched this play out, and was fascinated. It wasn't often that she had the opportunity to take a glance into Mulder's life, as it wasn't something he liked to talk about. She took in the appearance of the tall, slender woman before her. She had dark brown, curly hair, and bright, warm brown eyes. Scully slightly cleared her throat, to let them know they had an audience for their apparent reunion.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I, uh, this is Dana Scully. Scully, this is Valentina." He said, making the awkward introductions. They both smiled at each other in meeting, and she stayed standing beside the table nervously. She took their orders, and made a hasty exit towards the kitchen.

"Whatever story is behind this place is becoming more fascinating by the minute." Scully said with slight intrigue in her voice.

"Uh, yeah. She, um - I, we, Valentina is my ex...fiance." He said, barely audible even to himself. Scully stopped mid drink at the word 'fiance' and immediately regretted her decision to come here. She knew this place held some kind of meaning to Mulder's past, but she hadn't expected this. It was also a conversation about past relationships that they weren't ready to have yet.

"Mulder, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you this uncomfortable. We, uh, we can get the food to go, if you want." She said apologetically.

"Yeah, maybe we should." He said passively. She winced at his lack of conversation, and knew this day had gone so wrong so fast.

They went to the front, and let the hostess know that their order would need to be placed in to go boxes. He paid for the meal, and they waited towards the front. He sighed as he saw Valentina make her way from the kitchen with the bags of food in her hand.

"I'm sorry you have to leave so soon, I, uh, was hoping to talk to you." Valentina said, taking a glance towards Scully.

"I'll call you, are you staying with Sofia?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, call me there, I would love to just, talk. Stop by any time as well." She said with a sad smile.

They made their way to the car, and Scully's mood immediately plummeted and she realized Mulder hadn't escorted her out with his hand on her lower back. It was a small gesture, but one that she thought of as their own. Whatever happened with Valentina in the past, wasn't going to ruin their future, she wouldn't let it.

"Do you, uh, want to eat this back at work, or?" He asked cautiously. He knew she liked to spend as less time as possible around her colleagues with him, avoiding any rumors that could form.

"Sure, let's head back. We can eat in my office." She let out in a shaky voice. She wasn't ready for people to inquire about the handsome stranger keeping Dr. Scully company on lunch, but her jealousy was getting the best of her.

QUANTICO, VA

SCULLY'S OFFICE

As they traveled back to Quantico, they both sat in a heavy silence. Both completely lost in their own thoughts about the events that played out during their short lunch visit. Mulder knew that he needed to elaborate to Scully about Valentina, but didn't know if their relationship was ready for it. Scully wanted to know more, but wasn't positive she was prepared to hear the answers to questions she didn't want to ask. They approached her office, and sat side by side on the small, loveseat couch she had placed in front of a coffee table. They spread the food out, still maintaining their silence, and began to separate the portions.

"The food's really good, I love the salad." She said in a small voice, trying to break the awkwardness clouding them.

"Scully, we need to talk." He said with a resigned sigh as he placed his plate on the table. She stopped mid bite, and laid her fork shakily on the plate, placing it down on the table as well. She swallowed the lump in her throat, along with her food, and wearily turned to face him more. She never liked those words, and was unsure about what this blast from the past would mean for them.

"Valentina and I, our split wasn't exactly amicable. We were young, and caught in these feelings of our whirlwind summer romance. We engaged quickly, but she got cold feet. She went on about how she couldn't settle down yet, because she hadn't found herself. She planned to move to Italy, and live with family out there. I didn't know until she was gone. She left me a letter, with the ring that I gave her. I was heartbroken, and I honestly didn't think I could ever recover. That's when I wrote my first book. It was the best outlet for me to let out all of my emotions. In a way, she was my first muse. She was the reason I made my rule, to never get close enough to the subject of my story." His voice drifted off in memory.

"You got close to me..." Scully answered in a small whisper. She was fearful that Mulder's previous emotions would make him apprehensive to move forward in their relationship. Neither were able to look at each other, until his hand caressed the crook of her neck, and his fingers gently lifted her chin towards him.

"You are the reason I broke that rule. I don't want you to worry about this." He said as he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She normally would pull away, but she needed this assurance. She pulled the back of his neck towards her, deepening the kiss. His other hand softly caressed her hip, and he pulled her slightly towards him, closing the space between them. They both needed this, to reassure them of their relationship.

She finally broke away, and rested her forehead on his. They smiled to each other, both lost in their moment, they didn't hear the knocking on the door.

"Dr. Scully, we just had a question about the outline for the-" The student stopped short upon seeing her professor entangled in the arms of the hot stranger. Scully jumped as far away from Mulder as she could, given their limited space, and stood up to greet her students.

"Uh, sorry. I was just eating lunch, with my, friend. What can I help you girls with?" She said, trying to compose herself. She could see the mischievous gleam in her students' eyes as they raked over Mulder. They had also never caught their serious professor so flustered.

"We just had a few questions about the outline for the final exam. We can come back later though." They said as they glanced towards Mulder again.

"It's fine, we were just finishing up. Why don't you come back in about 15 minutes and I can go over your questions." She said as she so effortlessly slipped into her Dr. Scully persona. Mulder tried to stifle the laugh building inside of him. He loved watching her try to suppress how flustered she truly was. The students made their way out of the office, closing the door behind them.

"I'm never going to hear the end of it now." She groaned as she buried her head into her hands.

"Nah, Scully. I'm sure it won't be that bad. You were just having lunch with a friend, what's to tell?" He said with a teasing chuckle as he stood and pulled her into his arms. She placed her hands on his chest and looked up into his comforting eyes.

"Mulder, I'm sorry, I panicked. I'm sure they gathered that you're more than a friend, by the way I was practically sitting in your lap. Geez, they're going to tell everyone about the hot stranger in Dr. Scully's office now." She scoffed.

"You think I'm hot?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows at her, trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't let it go to your head, Mulder. But I am kicking you out, that's enough embarrassment for me today. I need to clean up, and wait for their return." She groaned again, not wanting to face her students.

"So now that our cover is pretty much blown, does that mean we for sure get to go to the FBI ball?" He asked innocently, as he played with her necklace.

"I'm starting to think this was some twisted plan of yours all along."

"Ah, come on, Scully. You're giving me too much credit here. I just mean, now that everyone here is going to know you have a hot, mysterious, man friend, we don't have to hide it anymore." He said, chuckling at her wincing.

"Gee, Mulder. You really know how to cheer up a girl don't you?"

"I'll make it up to you, I promise. How about tonight, I bring over dessert after you get home from your late class?"

"Okay, but only if you bring something chocolate." They both smiled at each other, and he placed a quick peck on her lips before making his exit.

He knew that as new as their relationship was, they always had an understanding dynamic between them. He reveled in the fact that they were able to get through any obstacle they've faced so far, and found a comfort there. He made his way back to the restaurant to speak with Valentina in person. He knew she needed closure, much like himself, and figured that in order for him to move forward with Scully, he needed to tie up the loose ends of his heart from his past.

ITALIAN RESTAURANT

He arrived at the restaurant, and asked the hostess to call Valentina to the front. She approached from the kitchen, and slowed her pace upon seeing him standing there. She wasn't sure why he had come back, she wasn't really expecting him to even call after what she did.

"Fox, you're back, so soon." She said nervously.

"Yeah, uh, I was hoping we could talk about whatever you wanted to talk about. If you have a minute." He answered sheepishly.

"Of course, we can take the table in the back." She led him to a table further away from the main dining area, and they sat down in an awkward silence. "Fox, I just need to start off by saying I'm sorry, for how I treated you, and handled things. It was unfair to you, and you deserved better."

"Valentina, it's okay, it's behind us. We were both young, and made stupid choices. I forgive you, I promise." He said as he enclosed his hand around hers, reassuring her of the closure that he assumed she was looking for.

"I'm glad to hear that, I - uh, Fox...I missed you. I still do miss you. The only mistake I made was walking away from you." She said in a small whisper. He instantly stiffened and began to piece together the true meaning behind this reunion.

"Valentina, that was a long time ago. I don't, I'm with someone."

"Do you love her?" She challenged.

"I - it's still new, but, I think I'm moving in that direction." He said with a smile more to himself. He hadn't really sorted his feelings for Scully out, as he hadn't had to face them directly.

"I see, I'm happy for you. You deserve to be with someone who cares for you. I'm just sorry that it wasn't me. I'm glad we were able to talk, I should be getting back to work." She said, trying to avoid any further feelings from being exposed. She didn't expect him to just fall back into her arms, but she had hoped that he would at least give her a chance.

Mulder mulled over the conversation on his way back to his apartment. He sighed, knowing he should feel more depressed about their talk, but the thought of Scully erased any apprehensions. He never second guessed his feelings for her, and knew that this was what he needed to move their relationship further, nothing holding him back now.

SCULLY'S APARTMENT

She arrived to her apartment after a long day, and had already called Mulder to let him know she was on her way home. She was exhausted, mentally and physically, but was looking forward to spending her evening with him. She got herself comfortable, in a sweater that was slightly lower cut than she preferred, but smiled to herself thinking about Mulder's reaction.

The knock came to her door, and she strolled to answer it. She looked through the peephole, already knowing it was Mulder, and smiled at the sight before her.

"As much as I appreciate flowers, I told you to bring chocolate." She said with a smirk, as she let him in and inhaled the smell of her gift.

"Your lack of faith in me hurts, Scully. I would never disappoint." He said as he pulled a to-go box from behind his back. He opened it, and the heavenly aroma of the chocolate fudge cake filled her senses.

"This looks sinful, you are forgiven for whatever you were making up for originally." She said as she took the box from his hands, and situated herself on the couch.

"It's good to know you can be so easily bribed with chocolate, Scully." He teased as he grabbed a fork for himself.

"Nuh uh, there were no discussions about sharing." She said with her eyebrow raised, challenging him. "Where did you get this slice of heaven anyway? It's delicious."

"Oh, uh, I went back to talk to Valentina, and got that before I left." He said deadpanned, hoping to avoid this conversation. He clearly didn't think this through before bringing her the dessert, not that he was trying to hide it from her. He noticed that she slowed her chewing, and pondered over his words.

"It's great, they really do have a nice little place there." She said, forcing a smile.

"Scully, she just needed closure. I know I didn't even really owe her that, but it was good, for the both of us. I think I needed it more than I thought." He said quietly.

"It's okay, Mulder. I understand, I'm glad you were able to talk." She said nervously. She didn't want to know what they talked about, but hoped that she could take his word on her putting her worries to rest.

"I'm glad, too." He said, leaning over her on the couch. "And if you're not going to share the cake, I'm just going to have to find another way to taste it." He said in a sultry tone, lingering just above her lips. She smiled mischievously at him, and her eyebrow twitched.

"And how do you plan to do that?" She said in a low whisper, tilting her head up towards his.

He enclosed his lips on hers, savoring in her taste. She slowly opened her mouth to him, allowing access, and his tongue thrusted into her mouth. Their tongues dueled for control, both began breathing heavily. He lightly removed the dessert from her hands, and smiled as he broke away from their kiss. He leaned back to a seated position with a sly grin, and took a bite.

"Mulder! You sneak! I can't believe you just tricked me like that." She said, still composing herself from their kiss.

"I was actually really impressed with that one, Scully." He said with a proud smile. She just chuckled and shook her head at him.

"Hey, you have something, on the side of your mouth." She said in a smooth voice, as she crawled cat like over his body towards him on the couch. She stopped herself, letting her lips linger just before his. His breath caught in his throat, and she could see the arousal in his eyes. She sneakily reached up, and used her finger to wipe away the chocolate. She smiled as she licked off her finger, and sat back in her spot, with a gleam in her eyes.

"That wasn't nice, Scully." He nearly growled, trying to control his breathing.

"Turnabout is fair play, Mulder." She said with a smirk and a modest chuckle.

"Well, as much as I would love to keep playing this game with you, I should head home. I have an early morning meeting with my publisher about the second book." He groaned at the thought.

"That good a meeting, huh?" She teased.

"I can't wait for it." He said sarcastically, as he rolled his eyes and got up from the couch to gather his things.

She walked him to the door, and they shared a parting kiss. He turned abruptly, and pulled her into his body, closing the space between them. He smiled down at her, and she looked at him puzzled by the sly grin on his face.

"Don't forget to pick out a dress for the ball next weekend." He said in a sultry voice, matching his earlier tone.

"Mulder..." She said, exasperated with him. He chuckled and placed a small kiss on her lips before making his final exit.

She stood in the doorway, still gathering herself from the way that he made her feel. She sauntered back into her apartment, smiling to herself, and letting her doubts about their moving relationship disappear. She was nervous about going to the FBI Annual Ball, but with Mulder by her side, she might be able to fully move on from her own past that haunted her.


	11. Chapter 11

DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT

The next week had passed rather quickly, and the night for the Annual Holiday Ball was here. Since letting it slip that she was going, Scully agreed to let her mom come over and help her get ready. Maggie was more curious about the mysterious man who had her daughter so captivated, she figured this would be her best chance to finally meet him.

"So is Fox picking you up from here?" Maggie asked innocently.

"It's Mulder, and yes, he should be here soon actually, so we can eat and head over the stupid thing." Scully said with a heavy sigh.

"You can at least pretend like you're excited to go, Dana. I'm sure it will be a great time!"

"I'm actually looking forward to going with Mulder, I just-" She stopped, realizing her mother didn't know much about her previous relationships, and wasn't ready to divulge into that conversation. "There's some people who might be in attendance that I'm not really looking forward to seeing again." She finished in a small whisper.

"Are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to just give advice blindly here?" Her mother asked, as her eyebrow began to arch.

"I - When I went through the academy, I was in a brief relationship with one of the instructors. It ended, somewhat badly, and everyone knew about it. It was humiliating, but as the years passed, people seemed to just forget. I don't need to jog their memories by us being in the same room together. It's in the past, it's done. Happy?" She asked bitterly. She hadn't spoken about Jack to anyone since they split, and didn't want to have to deal with those old feelings now.

"Well, I don't know what happened, but obviously it affected you greatly. Maybe facing that tonight, with Fox by your side, is exactly what you need to truly move past it." Her mother said with a final nod before making her way out of the bedroom so Scully could finish changing.

"It's Mulder..." Scully said with a sigh. She was ready, she just needed to change into the dress that she had purchased for the evening. She spent most of last week in and out of stores, trying to find the perfect outfit. She never really took the opportunity to dress up, and wasn't going to skimp on this chance. She also wanted to blow Mulder's mind with seeing her in a different, sexier light. She finally found the impeccable dress she had been unknowingly searching for, and felt incredible.

As she finished adding the final touches to her ensemble, she could hear voices coming from the living room. She chuckled to herself at the not-so-subtle interrogation that she was positive Mulder was facing from her mother. She figured she should rescue him, but was going to have a little fun first.

She crept from her bedroom, with her shoes in her hand so that she could make her way silently. When she peered around the hallway wall, she could see Mulder's back facing her. Before her mother had the chance to welcome her into the room, Scully placed her finger to her lips, urging her to keep quiet. Her mother gave her a mischievous smirk, and continued with her conversation.

"Well it's definitely a pleasure to finally meet you, what are your plans for the evening?" Maggie asked innocently.

"I'm glad I was able to meet you tonight as well. I think just dinner, and then the ball." Mulder answered sheepishly. He was always nervous when meeting anyone's parents, considering he didn't have the best relationship with his own. In this moment, he felt like he was being interrogated by his prom date's mother.

"And after that?" Maggie asked as she crossed her arms, having to suppress the smirk growing on her face. She attempted to stifle the laugh building within her, but let out a small chuckle at the paled, wide-eyed expression on Mulder's face.

He began to panic at this line of questioning, and there was nowhere for him to escape. He began to stutter in response, not really forming words, until he heard a muffled giggle from behind him. He turned abruptly and narrowed his eyes at Scully, knowing now that this was a huge ploy. Before he could think of something witty to say in response, his mouth dropped open at the sight before him.

"Scully, you look-" He let out in a breathy whisper, not having the ability to form words. She was wearing a fitted, silky, deep red dress that hugged her in all the right places. The top was a sweetheart cut, just low enough to reveal a modest cleavage. She looked down as the blush tinged her cheeks, and smiled at his reaction.

"What good are you as an author if you don't know how to use your words, Mulder?" She composed herself enough to tease.

"Well, believe it or not, it's not every day that I'm lucky enough to have a date with a beautiful woman. You look incredible." He said as he stepped forward. They both smiled at each other, and were broken from their small moment by Maggie clearing her throat. They jumped and turned their attention back to her, almost forgetting anyone else was even there.

"You do look beautiful honey." Maggie said as she took in her daughter's appearance, she was speaking more to the smile on her face than the outfit. "You two should get going. I'll lock up on my way out." She said as she practically forced them out of the door. She kissed her daughter on the cheek, and made her parting pleasantries with Mulder. She wanted them to begin their evening together as soon as possible.

They had arrived at the restaurant and were seated right away. Mulder couldn't stop gazing in Scully's direction. This was definitely something he knew he could get used to. He loved seeing every side of her, and this might just be his favorite.

"You're staring." She said with an embarrassed smile on her face.

"I'm just trying to think of more events that would require you to wear dresses like that." He said with a flirtatious tone in his voice.

"Mulder..." She said with a click of her tongue as the color rose to her cheeks. She had never dated someone who paid her so many compliments on her appearance, and it made her giddy.

"You really do look amazing tonight."

"Thank you. I, uh, it'll be interesting for people at work to see me outside of my usual pantsuits, I'm sure."

"Well, I'm going to be the luckiest person there, with the hottest date on my arm." He said as he wagged his eyebrows at her. "Davis will be surprised, I can tell you that right now."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"What do you mean?" He asked quizzically.

"Well-" She let out a sigh. "When you were in the hospital, he said some things that made me feel like he had already suspected that we were seeing each other."

"That sly son of a bitch." Mulder said as he let out a chuckle and shook his head in disbelief.

"What?"

"He's the one who originally told me about the ball. He had mentioned it the day I had lunch in your office last week. I thought it was an off-handed thought, but he played me."

"So you bumping the papers off my desk and happening to find the flyer that day..." She said with an accusatory tone.

"I, uh, needed an excuse to bring it up so that I was able to have the opportunity to bask in your beauty." He said smoothly.

"Nice save." She said as he narrowed her eyes at him. "I wonder why he wanted us to be there tonight."

"I'm sure for pure entertainment value. I met him a while back, he's a good friend of mine. I also haven't really dated anyone since, well, Valentina, really. I'm sure he's just amused to see me actually involved with someone."

"I know he sensed that I, uh, cared about you, too. With my reputation, I'm sure you're not the only one being used for entertainment purposes." She said as she sipped her water.

"You 'uh, care about me,' Scully?" He said mocking her words, with a grin touching his lips.

"I'm not telling you anything anymore." She answered with an amused smile.

They finished their meal, and made their way towards the hotel that the ball was being held at. Their car ride was rather silent, and Mulder could instantly feel the hesitation of tonight radiating from Scully. He was worried that he had pushed her too much into doing something she didn't want to, but didn't know what caused her apprehension.

"Scully, before we get there, I can tell something's bothering you. I just, I want to know why you didn't want to go to this tonight?" He asked sincerely. He knew he was taking a chance by asking, but he felt comfortable in their relationship to have this conversation.

"I told you, Mulder, it's just not my thing." She said quietly as she turned to face the window. He glanced over at her and could see the sadness written on her face. He gently reached his hand to cover hers, and settle on her lap. She smiled at the action, and sighed in resignation. She knew he wouldn't push her, and she felt ready to reveal her past to him. "I, uh, there might be some people there I'm not looking forward to see. I dated someone for a short length of time while I was in the academy. He was older, and well known. I was very focused on my career, I let the relationship take backseat. I also don't like to feel forced to do things I don't want to, and I wasn't ready to take our relationship further. He accused me of being cold and disconnected. Well, that rumor spread rather fast around the bureau, and Quantico. That's kind of how Dr. Dana 'Ice Queen' Scully came to be." She said in a small voice, evidently embarrassed and hurt by her spoken revelations.

Mulder could hear the sadness in her voice, and wanted to just pull over and engulf her into his arms. He had never thought of Scully as being cold, but then replayed the conversation he had with Davis about her on that first day in her class. He grasped onto her hand tighter, in a comforting gesture, and glanced over at her again.

"Scully, you are anything but cold. You are one of the most fascinating, beautiful, witty, brilliant, beautiful people that I've ever had the pleasure to even look my way. I don't know the guy, but I can already tell he's an idiot. If he is there tonight, want me to beat him up for you?" He said as he nudged her shoulder with his arm. She let out a tiny chuckle, and wiped away a stray tear that had escaped.

"You said beautiful twice. Running out of words there, mister author?" She bantered back.

"I just like to make sure to emphasize what I truly mean." He leered at her, and she gave him a small smile. He wasn't sure how tonight would turn out, but as long as he could keep a smile on her face, he would feel like he did something right.

ANNUAL FBI HOLIDAY BALL

They entered the hotel ballroom, arms linked, and glanced around at the marvelous decorations. They both made their way over to the bar, where they already ran into a familiar face.

"Mulder! You made it. I see you brought a date, it's nice to see you out of the office Dr. Scully. You look stunning." Davis said in greeting.

"Yeah, we already figured out your little ploy, Davis. Don't think you'll be getting off that easy." Mulder said with a teasing smirk on his face. In truth, without Davis' meddling, they might have not made it here tonight.

"I have no idea what you mean." He said, feigning innocence, but unable to hide the playful gleam in his eyes. "I'll catch up with you two later, have fun." He said in a teasing tone. Mulder just shook his head at his friend, letting out a chuckle.

They gathered their drinks, and settled their belongings at a nearby table. Almost every person that passed by did a double take at the familiar redhead. Mulder could instantly tell that no one expected her to be here tonight, especially looking as timeless as she did. He smiled at the thought that she was there with him.

They danced together to several songs, and eventually made their way back to the table. Mulder had gone to get another round of drinks, and found Davis at the bar again.

"So are you enjoying your date." He said, emphasizing the word.

"Well from what we figured out, you already knew we were seeing each other." Mulder bit back playfully.

"I had my suspicions. You know, I've worked with her for almost 4 years now, and this is the most contented I've ever seen her. You must be doing something right."

"You're shocked, I'm sure. I still have a few tricks up these sleeves." He said, enjoying the conversation with his old friend. He turned to face their table, and immediately became uneasy about what he saw. Scully was standing there, with her arms crossed in front of her almost in defense, speaking to a man he was unfamiliar with. He could see the nervousness inside of her from where he stood. "Hey, Davis. Who's that guy?"

"Ah, that, would be Jack Willis. Hot shot Quantico instructor and agent. He's a smug son of a bitch who thinks way too highly of himself, but you didn't hear that from me. He's, uh, also Dr. Scully's ex. From what I know, it didn't end too well. I felt bad for her, really. He didn't make things exactly easy. You should probably get over there." Davis said as the concern filled his voice. He knew what ran around the rumor mill, and knew she was probably in the need for saving. Mulder just nodded at the suggestion, and absorbed the information as he grabbed their drinks and strolled back to the table.

"Your drink, m'lady." He said lightly, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. She jumped slightly, not realizing he had appeared at her side.

"Thanks. Uh, this is Jack Willis. Jack, this is Fox Mulder, my, uh, boyfriend." She stammered out. Mulder's head flew down at the word 'boyfriend' and a smile began to touch his lips. This was the first time she had given them any kind of title, or acknowledged their relationship straight on, in public. He knew it was more of a confidence booster for her in this situation, but he would take the small victory.

"It's nice to meet you, Jack." Mulder managed a tight-lipped smile, and shook the man's hand. He could tell he was looking him over, evaluating him. He already didn't like the guy, based on Scully and Davis' input, and didn't want to be judged by the bastard.

"So do you work at Quantico? I haven't seen you around." Jack said.

"No, I'm actually a writer. I met Scully doing research for my last novel." He said as he smiled down at her. She glanced up and returned the smile. Jack immediately felt jealousy cloud over him at the affection she was showing Mulder. She had always insisted that they try to keep the public displays to a minimum.

"That seems like an interesting career. Anything I would know?"

"Nothing worth mentioning at the moment. It was a different career path, but it just sort of worked out for me. I've met some amazing people along the way." He said as he placed his hands on Scully's arms. She reached up to rest her hand over his for the comfort.

"I see. Well it's definitely a surprising pairing for _Scully_ here." He said emphasizing her name. He was trying to get a reaction from them both. Mulder could instantly feel her stiffen beneath his hands. He began to rub his hands up and down her arms in reassurance, and he felt her relax into him.

"It's definitely not anything I was expecting, but it's working out really well for us. It was nice meeting you." Mulder said, dismissing Jack from their conversation. Scully tried to suppress the grin forming on her face, noticing how angry Jack was getting. He scoffed and walked away from their table. She turned to face him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Boyfriend, huh?" He asked jokingly.

"Well, I figured it sounded better than hot, mystery man who I happen to be dating." She said, relaxing into his embrace, not caring who was around to notice.

"Oh, I do like the way that sounds. Not as much as I like boyfriend of Dana Scully, though." He said before leaning towards her. He knew she was still out of her element, and wanted to let her make that final step. She smiled to herself, and leaned up just enough to reach his lips. They shared a soft kiss, and both found more certainty in their relationship.

DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT

After dancing late into the night, they made their way back to Scully's apartment, both completely exhausted. As he pulled onto her street, he hesitated on whether he should park the car. He didn't want to assume he was invited up, and didn't want to push her more out of her comfort zone than she already was today. He just glanced sideways at her as he pulled up to her building, and she took the indirect hint.

"Why don't you come up for some coffee? We can just relax for a little, I mean, if you want." She said in a whispered voice.

"Well with an invitation like that, who could refuse?" He teased as he parked on the curb. She rolled her eyes at him, and lead the way to her apartment.

She made her way into the kitchen, and nervously began to make the coffee. She still was coming off the built anxiety of the evening, and didn't know what Mulder was expecting in this moment. She had already made huge leaps out of her comfort zone tonight, she didn't know how much further she could push herself. While she became lost in her thoughts, he approached from behind her, and gently placed his hands on her hips.

"I can tell you're nervous, and I need you to know I'm not expecting anything tonight. Relax." He said as he leaned in to kiss her neck in the spot just below her ear. She let out a soft whimper at the contact, and licked her lips subconsciously.

She turned unexpectedly, and kissed him intensely, grasping at the back of his head. He held her tighter, and deepened the kiss. They both melted into the embrace, and he lifted her up onto the counter, hiking up her dress just enough to step between her legs. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and could feel his growing erection nudging at her core.

"Mulder...wait." She said in a breathy, hushed voice. She broke their kiss, leaning her forehead against his. "I want this, I do. I just don't know if, I just..." She said breathing into his mouth, never breaking their contact.

"I've told you from the beginning, this is all at your pace, Scully. I'm not going anywhere." He said placing a tender kiss to her forehead. She sighed, feeling comfortable in that small sentiment.

"I think my nerves got the best of me tonight. With everything that happened, I think I just need a little more time." She smiled at him sheepishly.

"I've got all the time in the world, Scully. I mean, unless you plan on shooting me again. I was touch and go there for a minute." He said, causing them both to share a chuckle, lightening the mood.

"I'm an excellent shot, Mulder. You shouldn't forget that." She said as a small smirk touched her lips. He laughed, and kissed her again, helping her off the counter.

"I've got a daily reminder in the form of a scar on my shoulder that'll make sure I never forget."

"It was a love tap, Mulder. You should really learn to toughen up." She teased, not paying attention to the words she was saying.

"A _love_ tap, Scully?" He said, emphasizing the word. She froze, realizing what she said, and what he was asking. He laughed, and leaned down to place a kiss on the tip of her nose. "I'm messing with you. But that's enough fun for tonight, I should be heading home." He said, reluctantly stepping away from her.

"Mulder, I, uh-" She took a deep breath, gaining her courage. She knew that having to face her past tonight caused her to shield her feelings further. She was apprehensive, given what happened with Jack before, but knew that it wasn't fair to Mulder to assume he would react the same way. She wanted to do something for him, to let him know that she wanted this, she just wasn't ready for the ultimate act of intimacy. "Do - do you want to stay over?" She asked in a small whisper.

He froze at her question, not anticipating it. He didn't know if she was doing this more for him, or for herself, and he didn't want to refuse this to her after she gained her courage to ask. He knew he needed to approach as cautiously and delicately as possible.

"This is going to sound weird, I know, but I don't want this to come between us." He said, with the simple implication that by accepting, he didn't want to jeopardize this too soon.

"Yeah, no, I understand." She said, slightly bowing her head, assuming he was rejecting her proposal.

"Hey..." He said, lifting her chin with his fingers, meeting her lips with his own. "I would love to spend the night with you."

She just smiled up at him, eyes gleaming. She knew that even though she wasn't ready for more, this was a small step for both of them. She grabbed his hand, and led him to her bedroom. As they both approached, their nervousness began to build.

"I'm, uh, just going to change, make yourself comfortable." She said, making a quick escape to the bathroom. She needed a minute of solitude to compose herself. Her heart knew this was what she wanted, she just needed to reassure her nerves of that.

She got herself ready for bed, and returned into the room. A smile formed on her face, and she tried to stifle the laugh she could feel building from the sight before her. Mulder was sitting on the end of the bed, in his t-shirt, and dress pants. He was perfectly still, with his hands clasped in his lap, looking as nervous as she felt.

"Mulder, this might be your first sleep over, but usually you sleep _inside_ the bed." She said, letting out a small chuckle.

"What can I say? My couch holds a special place in my heart, I forgot what a bed even looks like." He said, matching her laugh.

Mulder stood up, and remained at the end of the bed. "Do you, uh, have a side?"

"Oh, um, not really. I've been sleeping alone for so long, I kind of sleep in the middle. I guess I favor the left side, if I had to choose." She stammered out.

He nodded and moved to the right side of the bed, and helped her displace the extra pillows. They pulled down the comforter, and she settled herself under the blanket. She could see him mulling over thoughts in his head, and knew immediately what his apprehensions were.

"Mulder, you can make yourself a little more comfortable, to sleep." She said as she eyed his dress pants that he had yet to remove. She could tell he didn't want to assume anything in this situation, so she needed to give him some certainty. He just smiled with a sigh, and took her implication.

He slid in next to her, and they turned to face each other. They smiled at their awkward nervousness they both felt, but this was rather new territory for both of them. He gently caressed her face with his hand, and stroked her cheek with his thumb. He leaned forward slightly, and gave her a gentle kiss filled with promise.

"Good night, Scully."

"Good night, Mulder." She said in a breathy whisper, trying to mask her shaky voice.

They both made themselves more relaxed, staying close enough to feel the body heat of the other. They reveled in the this small moment of serenity between them. They didn't know what this meant for their relationship, but they knew it was a step in a positive direction. Nothing could break their new foundation, at least they had hoped.


	12. Chapter 12

DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT

Mulder roused early the next morning, and immediately stiffened, not recognizing his surroundings. He relaxed when he remembered the course of events from the evening prior, and smiled to himself. He glanced around, and noticed that throughout the evening, Scully had cuddled herself into his side, and entangled their legs together. He smiled down at their comfortable position, and could feel her begin to wake.

When she fully came to attention from her sleep, she realized that she was sleeping in an unfamiliar position. She sobered instantly, and separated herself frantically.

"Well good morning to you, too, Scully." Mulder teased, watching her become aware to the instances of the moment.

"Mulder, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak out. I guess, I'm just not used to this." She smiled sheepishly. They both shared awkward smiles, and finally leaned forward to kiss her.

"Good morning." He whispered. She just smiled, and kissed him again.

They made their way into the kitchen, and she began to make coffee and breakfast for them both. Just as they were beginning to settle down at the table, they were interrupted by the incessant knocking at the door. Scully's face paled, and she winced upon hearing the voice through the door.

"Danes, open up, it's your favorite sister and mom said we have lots to talk about!" Scully's sister, Melissa, shouted through the door.

"Even if I ignore her, I'll never get rid of her. Trust me, I've tried." Scully said as she let out a heavy sigh. She made her way to the door with an apologetic look on her face. Mulder escaped quickly to the bedroom to put on his pants, since he was only in the comfort of his boxers and t-shirt. He wasn't sure what Scully expected in this moment.

When he emerged from the room, he could hear them talking, and crept around the corner quietly, allowing him to overhear some of the conversation.

"Melissa, what brings you back to town?" Scully asked distractedly, trying to figure out where Mulder ran off to.

"I'm just passing through, thought I'd visit my family. I surprised Mom last night, when she got back from leaving here. Apparently you had a hot date last night, and I-" She paused, as she began to take off her coat and glanced into the kitchen. "And apparently it's still going on." She said with a devious smirk on her face.

Scully winced, knowing she wouldn't be able to get her sister out quickly. Melissa was mouthing 'oh my god, where is he?' just as Scully was beginning to wonder the same thing.

"I, uh, I wasn't exactly expecting company. Um, we-" She kept stammering. Mulder felt it was time to put her out of her misery, and emerged from the hallway with a shy smile on his face. Melissa glanced in his direction, and gave Scully a nod of approval.

"You must be the hot, mystery man keeping my sister company, and apparently her bed." Melissa said slyly.

"Melissa!" Scully hissed, causing Mulder to chuckle. "Don't you dare even laugh." She said, pointing at him and trying to suppress her own grin.

Scully dished some food for Melissa, and invited her to join them for breakfast. They sat at the table, and her sister wasted no time beginning her interrogation.

"So, Mulder, tell me about yourself." She asked mischievously.

"Uh, there's not much to tell. I'm an author, which means I pretty much do nothing all day, except when inspiration strikes." He joked, as he winked at Scully. A tinge of color rose to her cheeks, and she just shook her head at him.

"Oh, anything I would know?"

"Uh, it depends on your taste in books, I suppose." Mulder said, avoiding the truth of his pseudonym.

"Well, what have you written?" Melissa asked, not caving in their stalemate of questioning. Mulder looked over at Scully for help, and she just gave him an amused look, and took a sip of her coffee. He narrowed his eyes at her, and let out a heavy sigh, knowing he could never truly win a Scully woman interrogation.

"I write in a pseudonym, so my name isn't exactly known. I, uh, my pen name is M.F. Luder." He answered quietly.

"Wait, you write all those science fiction novels? I've read a few, they were fascinating! Nice catch, Danes. Definitely not a pairing I would have ever imagined for you." She said, praising Mulder's work before turning her attention back to her sister.

"Uh, thanks, I think." Scully said, before realizing Mulder's shift in comfort. He seemed almost nervous, and rather fidgety with misplaced anxiety. "Melissa, we, uh, most people don't know who Mulder is, that's why he writes under a different name. It's probably assumed, but you can't really let that information slip." She said, noticing him take a deep breath. She reached over, and grabbed his hand for reassurance. He squeezed her hand back in thanks.

They finished their breakfast, making more casual pleasantries, and Melissa deemed it time to make her exit. She informed Scully she would be in town for the rest of the week, and they set up a lunch date. As she left, Mulder thought it should be time for him to go as well.

"Hey, sorry for the unexpected visit, she's my sister, and I love her, but she's exhausting sometimes." Scully said with a small smile.

"It's nice to meet more of your family, really paints a clearer picture into the world of Dana Scully." He said as began to button up his shirt.

"Were you, uh, leaving already?" She asked timidly.

"Well I like to think I've overstayed my welcome, not that I didn't enjoy our little sleep over." He leered at her, trying to mask his anxiety.

"Mulder, what's wrong? Did, uh, something happen?" She asked as she crossed her arms in front of her defensively.

"No, everything's great, Scully."

"Mulder..."

"Okay, I just-" He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes in resignation. "I've never dated anyone, during my career. I've never had to worry about having to tell people what I do, or disclose who I am. I guess, it's just going to take some time for me to adjust."

"Oh, Mulder. I'm so sorry, that didn't even occur to me. I don't know how reassuring my word is, but I know my family won't jeopardize anything for you." She answered in a small voice.

"Hey, your word is the most reassuring sentiment for me." He said as he engulfed her into his arms and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "It's really just going to take some getting used to. You're worth it though, I think." He said teasing.

"Well, your confidence in our relationship is comforting." She said with a smirk on her face.

"What can I say? I've always been known for my sweet talking."

"Yeah, maybe you should just stick to words on paper..." She said as she patted his chest in mockery.

"You wound me, Scully!" He said, feigning hurt by her words. "I really should get going though, I have some deadlines I've already pretended to not remember." He said as he kissed her again and began to make his way to her door.

"Oh, of course. Hey, Mulder..." She said, finally turning to face him. "Last night, was incredible. I, uh, thank you, for everything. I wouldn't have been able to face that without you by my side. Um, our little sleep over wasn't so bad either." She said as she dipped her head to hopefully hide the blush reaching her cheeks. He smiled at the sight, and strode towards her, embracing her in one smooth movement.

He enclosed his lips on hers, and kissed her passionately. He wanted her to know how much he truly cared for her. She pulled the back of his head towards her, deepening the kiss. Their breathing became erratic, and she began to frantically pull at his shirt buttons, until she paused in her actions. She reluctantly broke their connection, and leaned her forehead against his. She whispered "soon" into his mouth, and he just smiled and nodded at her.

He separated from their entanglement, and made his exit. He leaned against her apartment door, and just smiled to himself. He mulled over the events that transpired just over night, and a new plan popped into his head. He wanted to do something that was truly special for her, to show that he was serious about their relationship, and erase any doubt that may be clouding her mind.

* * *

BIANCA'S OFFICE

Mulder had set up a meeting for early the following week with Bianca. He had the draft of his second book, after spending his weekend with Scully, he had hit the final inspirational note that he needed. He had amended the underlying meaning of the book, and was thrilled with the rewrite.

"Hey come on in, I'm just finishing up a call." Bianca said distractedly as she let him into her office. She was always rushing around, completely preoccupied, but always made time for him.

He listened to her praise his newest novel to whatever co-publisher she was speaking to, and just smiled to himself. When she finally ended her call, she just looked at him, lips pursed with a speculative look on her face.

"Who's the girl?" Bianca asked bluntly.

"The what...? What are you talking about?" Mulder responded, failing to hide the guilty smirk on his face.

"Your second book was amazing, we have a lot of offers from people who just want a piece of it. It's also one of the greatest love stories fit into a science fiction genre that I've ever read. So, who's the girl?" She asked again with a glare.

"I guess my inspiration just found me a little more in touch with my sensitive side."

"Don't bullshit me, Mulder. I've known you too long. Come on, spill."

"Fine. She's someone I've been dating recently, if you must know. She's, uh, actually the muse Daniela Skye is based on..." He said, pretending to become interested in the magazine that was sitting on the table beside his chair.

"So, you broke our first rule? Not only did you break it, but you've got it bad." She said, flipping through his draft, shaking her head.

"Yes, okay. I broke my rule, but she's amazing. Every time our relationship progresses, I get this wave of inspiration that washes over me."

"As so very obvious by your love novel here. It was a great twist though, I don't know how you managed to keep the fluidity from the first book, and incorporate a love story. You amaze me, my friend." She said with a small smile on her face. "I've got another proposition for you."

"That's never a good thing." He said teasing.

"Yeah, and you probably won't like it. It's been suggested that you give an exclusive interview. A very behind the scenes look into the unknown author." She said timidly, but very matter of fact.

"Wouldn't that kind of completely go against the original plan here?"

"Yes, in a way. The interview would be like looking through your eyes. So, you would do the voiceover, read and answer the questions, and take us on a journey of your life. It would really only take you a day to film, and they want to premiere it next month with the preview of your newest book."

"Uh, yeah, I think I can make that work. This'll definitely be interesting." He said, stroking his chin in thought.

"It's probably best you don't include too many personal places, so it's easier to disguise who you are."

"I can probably shoot it at my parent's old house in the Vineyard. It's pretty secluded, and that would work well with my other plan." He said with a devious smirk.

"I don't even want to know, so I'm not asking. Have fun with it, let them get to know your dazzling personality." She said teasingly.

"It's almost as if you doubt me, I'm hurt, truly." He said teasing back. He enjoyed having a close friend in her.

"Whatever, they want it by next week, so you better get to it. Knowing you, there's going to be a lot of editing." She said with a grin, just before her phone line lit up again. He excused himself with a nod, and needed to put the next part of his plan in action.

* * *

QUANTICO, VA

DANA SCULLY'S LECTURE

Mulder made his way to surprise her at work. They hadn't really had a conversation about how to address their relationship since they had their first public date in front of her coworkers. He knew they made quite the statement, dancing close, and engaging in casual embraces throughout the evening. Though he still was unsure how she wanted to address them in her workplace, so he didn't want to overstep.

He quietly made his way down to the familiar lecture hall that will always hold a special place in his heart, and crept in through the back. He situated himself in the back row, slightly hidden, and was once again captivated by the passion she put behind her teachings. He watched her gracefully pace in the front of the room as she engaged with the class during a question and answer segment. She glanced towards his direction, and was caught off guard seeing Mulder sitting in the familiar spot. She tried to suppress the smirk forming on her face, and bit her lip to hide her smile.

Some of the students noticed the change in their professor, and subtly turned to see what had caused the shift in demeanor. One of the girls who walked in on them in her office noticed Mulder immediately and turned to get the attention of the other student present. They both giggled to themselves, and he just chuckled in amusement.

She had finally dismissed the class, and he stayed seated until the last student had made their exit. She pretended to be busy with the papers on her desk, waiting for him to make his move.

"Uh, hey, teacher, I have some questions about this assignment." He said as he glided towards her standing in the front of the room.

"And what assignment might that be that you need extra assistance with?" She said with a smirk on her face.

"I'm not understanding this anatomy homework, I'm more of a hands on learner." He said as he approached into her space and wrapped his arms around her waist. She rested her hands on his arms, and he let out his nervous breath, knowing she wasn't pulling away.

"Well, I suppose I could extend my office hours, to give you the extra needed attention." She said with a flirtatious gleam in her eyes.

"Remind me to give you a great course evaluation at the end of the year." He said as he leaned in to kiss her. She returned the kiss, and relaxed into his embrace.

"As much as I would love to stand here like this all day, I'm not really into public displays of affection. I have a reputation here, Scully." He said teasing her. She patted his arm playfully.

"Shut up, Mulder. What does bring you here this fine afternoon? How'd your meeting go with your publisher?" She inquired as she began to pack her belongings.

"It was great, she loves the second book, and apparently so do many other publishers. We have some high offers, so it's looking good." He said nonchalant.

"And you're still not going to let me read it?"

"All in good time, Scully. Anyway, she wants me to give an exclusive interview, like a 'through my eyes' kind of video. I was planning to film it up at my parent's old house in Martha's Vineyard, and was wondering if you'd like to accompany me this weekend." He said with his hands in his pockets, not meeting her eyes. He knew they had taken another step in their relationship, but he was fearful of her rejection of spending a weekend away together.

"I don't know, I'm extremely busy finding reasons to get out of my family interrogation dinner, although, that might just be the excuse I need." She said with a smirk on his face. He shot his head up, and smiled at her.

"Really?" He said in disbelief.

"It'll be fun. I can get someone to cover my Friday class, if you wanted to leave earlier." She said in a shy whisper.

"Sure, that sounds perfect. You'll love it up there." He said, stepping forward to kiss her again. Neither noticed that Davis had made his way into the room.

"You know, I'm almost hurt that I've known you for 6 years, and I've never been invited to more than a cheap dive bar." He said, causing them to step apart in surprise.

"Well, maybe if you were cuter, I'd buy you more than just what's on tap." Mulder said, composing himself.

"Always the cheap date." Davis teased back. "Dr. Scully, I was coming to ask if Friday would be a good day for a guest speaker, but now I know that it would be the perfect day for it. I assume your assistant can handle an introduction." He said, not even attempting to hide the amusement on his voice.

"Uh, yeah, that would work great. I think I'm going to be sick that day...Sir" She said as color rose to her cheeks.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll forward you the information so you can set the lesson plan for that day, you know, if you're not too sick." He said teasing. "I'll catch you both later. Have fun." He said with a smirk.

Scully looked at Mulder after Davis made his exit, and just let out a nervous breath. "I think he's just jealous." Mulder said, trying to calm her anxiety he could see building in her.

"I think he's more amused to see me so, different." She said with a chuckle.

"It's a good look on you. Although, I love to watch Dr. Scully teach, she's kinda hot." He said wagging his eyebrows at her.

"That's enough lessons for you today, I'll see you later?"

"Wouldn't miss it." He said as he kissed the tip of her nose and grabbed his jacket off her desk. Just as he was out of the door, he heard her small voice stop him.

"Uh, Mulder...you could, um, bring some stuff, to stay the night...if you want." She said sheepishly. He smiled and winked at her before making his final exit. He knew everything about his plan was working perfectly.

* * *

MARTHA'S VINEYARD

The week had passed quickly, and Mulder had spent a few more nights staying at Scully's apartment. She couldn't fully avoid an questioned filled lunch with her mother and sister, and just said she would be gone for the weekend without disclosing too much information. They wanted to pry, but knew she would just shut them out completely.

Mulder had picked her up early that morning, and they made their journey to the Vineyard. She was nervous about spending the weekend away with him, but her excitement shadowed any doubts that clouded her mind. He was excited to bring her here, and continue to put his plan into action.

"Mulder, it's absolutely stunning here." Scully said as she basked in the view. She explored the house, and stopped at the backdoor that lead out to the water. She took in the view, and smiled in the moment. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame.

"Do you like it?" He said in a small whisper.

"It's gorgeous, I can't believe you grew up here."

"Yeah, this house definitely has some memories, I'm always open to making more, though." He leered at her. He felt her chuckle in response.

"I'm starting to think there were some ulterior motives to this weekend away." She teased back.

"Well I never, the audacity that you would even doubt my intentions." He feigned being hurt by her words.

"Mhm, save it. This was a great idea, thank you for bringing me here." She said as she turned to kiss him. She lingered in front of his face, and a sly grin spread over her face. "So where are those childhood photos?" She whispered into his mouth before escaping to find the hidden gems.

"Scully..." He pleaded. "Let's just remember turnabout is fair play, and your mom really likes me." He said, teasing her.

"I'll take my chances." She said as she situated herself with a photo album she found in the living room.

They spent the next few hours reliving the memories of Mulder's childhood, and she loved this small insight into his life. Eventually, they made their way to dinner, and strolled along the water afterward. Scully knew that this weekend would be special for them, but was nervous by what that actually meant. She felt her anxiety build as they made their way back to the house, but didn't want to ruin the mood of the weekend.

As they settled in for the evening, Mulder seemed relaxed and it eased Scully's apprehensions. When it was time to get ready for bed, her nervous energy was radiating enough for him to sense it.

"There's the bathroom right over there, I can get ready in the bathroom across the hall. Let me know if you need anything else." He said as he smiled and made his way. He spent enough time stalling, giving her space to calm down and get situated. When he made his way back into the room, she was sitting in the bed, waiting.

"I, uh, just took my normal side of the bed." She smiled sheepishly.

"Sure, no problem, Scully." He said as he slid in next to her. He kissed her and got himself comfortable in the bed. She let out a shaky breath, relieved that he meant it when he said he wasn't going to push her. She smiled to herself, knowing their time was coming soon, when she was ready. She cuddled into his side, and drifted off to sleep.

They spent the weekend galavanting around the Vineyard, and Mulder filmed some things along the way. He had set questions to ask and answer out loud while filming, and was told it was to be less than 20 minutes total. They had a fun and relaxed few days away from the hectic life in DC, and it was their last night. They agreed to head back early Monday morning, so Scully was back for her afternoon class.

She had intentions to make this weekend memorable for them, and their relationship, and had been nervous about it all weekend. Mulder had been more than understanding, but she wanted to give him this. She wasn't sure what was exactly holding her back, but knew she needed to surpass her fears, not that he was pressuring her in any way.

He had snuck away for a quick shower, and before she lost her nerve, she made her way upstairs to join him. She snuck in quietly, and shed her clothes, stepping into the water.

"Scully! Wha - what are you doing?" He asked, wide-eyed at her surprising actions.

"I - Mulder, I want this. I needed to do this, before I lost my courage. I don't know what's holding me back, but I'm not scared anymore." She said in a small voice.

"I meant what I said, everything is at your own pace. I didn't want you to think this weekend was about anything more." He said, rubbing her arms for reassurance. He slowly realized that wasn't the best idea, considering their current state of undress.

"I want this, I really do. I - I'm ready." She said as she stepped forward, leaning her naked body on his. She felt his erection grow against her, and a smirk appeared on her face. "And apparently so are you."

"You play a dirty game, but this is the last time I'm giving you an out. I'm losing my will power here by the minute." He said, glancing down at her body. She leaned up, and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, sealing her implication.

He immediately engulfed her into his arms, and held her against the shower wall. Their breathing became frantic, and their lips were melded together, their bodies becoming one. He managed to reach between them, and felt the slickness of her core. He knew she was ready, physically, but was still questioning the immediacy of her actions.

He reluctantly broke their kiss, and rested his forehead on her own. "Scully..." He whispered into her mouth, with a hint of question in his voice.

"Mulder...I want you...inside me..." She said in a breathy whisper. He nodded against her head, and lifted her into an easier position, causing her to wrap her legs around his hips. He teased his tip at her entrance, and she whimpered at the contact. "Mulder...please..."

He didn't need anymore reassurance, he entered her slowly, and heard her gasp in response. He gave her a minute to adjust, and they found their rhythm. They were both lost in the blissful sensation of their intimate entanglement, and he could feel her begin to tighten around him. He thrusted harder, and she moaned into his mouth. He reveled in watching her ride out her orgasm, just before he followed, emptying himself inside of her.

They both held onto each other, trying to compose themselves and their breathing, and she just smiled into his lingering mouth. She kissed him again, as she slid her wet body to a standing position.

"Definitely my new favorite memory in this house." He said in a breathy voice.

"Glad I could be of assistance. Mulder, that was..." She said, still trying to compose her breathing.

"Yeah...it was." He said with a grin on his face, before planting a kiss to her forehead. He knew he was captivated by this woman before, but now he was permanently hooked.

When it was time to leave early the next morning, they were both in a new peace with their relationship. Scully had found some sense of solace in her ability to push past her worries and take this step for the both of them.

"Oh, uh, I forgot to grab something, I'll meet you in the car." Mulder said, escaping back into the house cryptically. He went back inside, knowing where to find exactly what he was looking for. He unlocked the hidden safe, and smiled as he pulled out the small object. He buried it inside his jacket pocket, and made his way back outside.

"What did you need to get? You still came back empty handed." She asked suspiciously.

"I wouldn't say I'm coming back completely empty handed." He said smoothly, wagging his eyebrows at her, and avoiding the line of questioning. She just chuckled and shook her head, forgetting their initial conversation.

He smiled to himself, knowing the rest of his plan was working perfectly. He didn't expect Scully's shower surprise, that was just an added bonus. They made their journey home, and he relished in their newest development. He only had one final thing to film for his video interview, and knew it was the final step in moving his plan forward full force.

* * *

BOOK PREVIEW

It had been a month since their retreat to Martha's Vineyard, and they've progressed their relationship monumentally. He spent more nights staying over at her apartment, and their physical relationship only grew with desire. They both were completely lost in their emotions, and knew this was where they wanted to be.

Mulder's publisher had finalized everything for the second book preview and interview screening. They had another contest that allowed fans an inside look into the mysterious author.

"So how did the video turn out? Since you won't show me, or let me read any of your second book. I'm really starting to question your devotion." Scully said, feigning distress.

"You know, Scully, you're kinda cute when you try to play the guilt card." He said teasing back as they made their way into the crowd. She immediately recognized some of the faces, and was instantly confused.

"Mom, Tara, what are you guys doing here?" She asked in disbelief.

"Fox invited us, and offered to fly Tara out for the weekend. This is a great turn out, I'm excited to see the interview." Maggie responded with a gleam in her eyes.

"I'm excited for the preview of the second book! You know, if you ever feel the need to keep up the tradition of the first one, I'd be happy to take another advanced copy." Tara teased. He chuckled in response and kissed Scully's forehead before venturing off to find his team.

"So, did I behave enough for the video?" He asked as he approached.

"It definitely goes with the underlying theme of your book. You sure about this? Once it's airing, there's no turning back." Bianca said with amusement on her face.

"I'm sure. I just wanted to make sure everything was still going smoothly." He answered sheepishly.

"Boy, you are nervous. This is so entertaining. Remind me to get a great seat for the moment of the reveal." Bianca said teasing back. He just scoffed with a small laugh, and made his way back to Scully and her family.

"We should get seated, they're going to start the screening soon. Uh, I hope you don't mind if we sit in the back." He said timidly.

"I wouldn't expect you to sit anywhere else." She teased, unsure about his nervousness. "Hey, you okay?" She said as they sat down.

"Uh, I will be, hopefully. I'm, uh, just anxious I think." He said evasively. She was still skeptical, but let it slide as the video began to play.

The interview was an instant hit with the audience, and he smiled as he watched people react to his humor and life insight. It was the first time he had really had any kind of direct feedback to his work, considering his fans didn't know who he was. As the video was coming to its end, his anxiety began to build, waiting for his final scene. Scully could instantly feel him stiffen, and just grasped onto his hand for comfort. She wasn't sure what changed, but when she looked at him, she could see him swallow a large lump in his throat.

Before she could ask what was wrong, his voice filled the room again, and his words caused her to freeze.

 _There's a lot that contributes to my writing, depending on the vision I'm currently lost in, but the most important piece is my inspiration. I've had many muses that motivated my stories, but the one that captivates my very soul is the one that is my incentive for life. I only hope that she returns the sentiments. Perhaps that will be my next journey in this twisted, spooky world._

The video ended with an image of his hand fondling a small, velvet box that held a large, vintage ring. The audience expressed their sentiments at the gesture implied, and applauded as the screen went black.

Her mother and Tara were glancing her way, with a gleam in their eyes, fighting back emotions. Scully sat, shock still at the declaration, and didn't know how to respond in the moment. She just tightened the grip on his hand, and stared, wide-eyed, straight ahead. He became nervous at her silence, and tried to control his quickened heart beat.

"Scully...?"


	13. Chapter 13

"Scully...?" He asked cautiously, the tension beginning to build around her silence. The audience was already talking amongst themselves about the small book preview and the interview screening. Her mom and Tara were waiting for her to respond, but wanted to give them space, so they hung around, still within eyeshot.

"Mulder..." She finally managed as she let out the breath she was holding. She hadn't moved from her position, still maintaining the death grip on his hand.

"I know I kind of sprung this on you, but my surprises have been working out pretty well for me, at least until now. Look, Scully, I don't need an answer right away. I technically didn't ask, yet, so I don't want you to feel pressured into anything. I know this has been moving fast, but I don't have any doubts in my mind, and I don't want you to either. This, was more of a promise, until you're ready for more." He stammered out, thoughts running through his mind sporadically.

She still didn't respond, even to his attempt at easing the situation. He was beginning to panic, and needed some reassurance that he didn't completely mess everything up. He could see Bianca standing off to the side, talking with Davis. Both were watching the scene play out, as well as her family. He wanted to get her alone, to really have a chance to talk about his declaration.

"I'm, uh, I need to talk to some people, before I can leave. I'll leave you alone." He said as he brought their conjoined hands to his lips, and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. He returned her hand back to rest in her lap, and began to stand up. She gripped onto his hand tighter, and when he looked down at her, he could see her fighting back the tears in her eyes. She licked her lips, deep in thought, and shook her head, gesturing for him to stay. "Scully, I-"

"Don't, not yet. I need-" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I want to say something, but I'm at a loss for words." She whispered, still not meeting his eyes.

"Let me talk to whoever Bianca wants me to, to get it over with, and I'll be right back. We can talk then, I'll give you a minute." He said sincerely. He leaned forward and shakily kissed her temple. She nodded, and he made his way over to his friends.

"I can see this plan of yours is going great." Bianca said, amused. "Did she say anything, I don't think I've ever seen someone pale that quickly before."

"She's fine, I hope. I think I just caught her off guard. Uh, who did you want to parade me off too?" He asked, avoiding any more questions. Davis just gave him a sly grin and shook his head.

As Mulder made his way over to talk to some of the co-publishers and editors, Scully's family cautiously made their way back to her side.

"That was quite a video interview, huh?" Tara asked, easing into the conversation. Scully just scoffed at her subtle attempt.

"You don't have to beat around the bush, we were all here for the main event." Scully said in a small voice.

"Oh, great. We were trying to figure out how to ask. Honey, what happened?" Maggie asked, trying to mask her excitement about the situation.

"I - I don't know. I didn't have words, I still don't know what to say." Scully said, still in disbelief about the events that transpired.

"Did you, uh, respond to him?" Tara asked.

"No, I didn't get the chance. He told me that it was a promise, and that he would officially ask me when I'm ready. I just-" She stammered out.

"Are you...ready?" Maggie asked sincerely.

Scully mulled over their relationship, and everything that had lead to this point. She smiled to herself at all the things he had done for her over their short time together. She knew she had apprehensions, moving this fast in a relationship with anyone. He pushed her to be someone that she was starting to enjoy, and step out of her comfort zone, in the best way. She never doubted, even in the beginning, how much they truly cared for each other.

"Y - yes. I think I am." She let out a breathy chuckle at the realization of her feelings.

"Well, then I guess you two should talk. He has reservations for dinner, but we can respectfully decline if you want to be alone." Maggie said, unable to hide the grin on her face.

"No, no, we should all go to dinner. I'll just, uh, need a minute to talk to him before we go." She said as she ducked her head, trying to hide the color that was rising to her cheeks. She popped her head back up when she heard a familiar voice addressing her.

"Dr. Scully, it's been some evening, huh?" Davis said, with a smile on his face.

"That's, definitely one word for it." She answered shyly. She made the introductions between her family and her boss, and they partook in casual conversation, passing time.

Mulder caught glimpses from afar, slightly relaxing that she seemed to be at least talking. She didn't seem upset, but he was still almost nervous to approach her again. He finished speaking with everyone he was required to, and made his brisk escape.

"My ears were ringing, which can only mean one thing." Mulder said as he approached the group, trying to lighten the mood.

"Let the guy do one interview, and his ego grows." Davis said, catching on to Mulder's attempt. He excused himself from the group, leaving them alone with her family.

They all stood around awkwardly, no one really knowing how to proceed in this moment. Finally, Tara excused herself to use the restroom, and change the baby before they ventured off to dinner. Maggie took the moment to offer her assistance, leaving Mulder and Scully standing sheepishly alone.

"How'd the, uh, meetings with people go?" She asked quietly. He was surprised that she broke the silence first, and let out a small breath that he wasn't aware he was holding.

"Great, uh, just a lot of sweet talking, it's a skill of mine." He said with a timid smile.

"Oh yes, I know. I've been on the receiving end of it a few times." She said with a smirk. "Everyone seemed to love the interview. It had a great reaction from the audience."

"Did you like it?" He asked skillfully.

"I did, it was really captivating. Definitely got my interest in the second book." She said lightly teasing.

"Well it's nice to know you care enough to take so much interest into my work." He said teasing back. He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, knowing they couldn't avoid this conversation forever. "Uh, Scully, I-"

"No, don't. Not yet. I, um, can we go outside?" She asked nervously.

"Uh, sure, Scully. Lead the way." He said, following her with his hand rested on her lower back. She smiled at their small sentiment that she cherished. On their way outside, they had instructed her mom and Tara to head over to the restaurant, and they would meet them there shortly.

She lead him to a park near the building that the event was held at, and situated herself on the top of a hill. He withheld asking questions, and just sat down next to her wordlessly, waiting for her to make the first move. He glanced over at her, and saw her lick her lips in deep thought, he knew this was about to be the moment of truth.

"I found my truth amongst the stars." She whispered to herself, glancing up at the clear night sky. He took this moment to revel in her natural beauty, and didn't notice her glance in his direction. He quickly composed himself, replaying the words in his head, and smiled to himself.

"Those are excellent words of wisdom, whoever said them must be brilliant." He said lightening the mood.

"He's alright, he's mostly just lucky he's cute." She said with a sly smile and she bumped his shoulder with hers.

"I've downgraded from hot, mystery man to _cute_? The thrill is already gone." He said shaking his head.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I like to think we're pretty good at keeping each other guessing. Tonight, definitely took me by surprise." She said in a small whisper.

"Scully, I didn't mean to-" Before he could finish stammering out his apology, she captured his lips with hers. He relaxed into her contact, and immediately pulled her closer to him. She deepened the kiss by straddling him, closing any space between them.

She broke the kiss, but maintained their closeness. She lingered just above his lips, and whispered into his mouth. "Ask me."

He froze, unsure that he heard her correctly. He looked up into her eyes, and saw the raw emotion behind them. He knew it was taking a lot of her to take this leap, and didn't want her to doubt anything between them. He smiled at her and nodded against her forehead.

He reached between them inside his jacket pocket, and pulled out the small, velvet box. She licked her lips nervously, anticipating the moment to follow.

"I would be honored if you would allow me to be the man to truly get a claim on Dana Scully." He said with a definitive tone. She smiled at the words, recalling their surprise date in San Diego.

"Mulder, how long have you been waiting to say that?" She asked as a smirk crept onto her face.

"Pretty much since you presented the challenge. It's been my goal ever since." He said with a genuine smile. Her eyes dazzled at his admission, and color rose to her cheeks.

"I'm almost concerned that me saying yes is going to go straight to your head."

"You're saying yes?" He said, sobering completely.

"I'm saying yes." She whispered as she passionately kissed him again, sealing their promise. They both stayed in the embrace for a few moments longer, accepting this new leap in their relationship. "Do I get the shiny ring in the box now?" She asked playfully.

"I suppose that would be the final step in this whole proposal thing." He teased, opening the box. Her eyes grew wide, seeing the ring in person.

"Mulder, it's stunning." She gasped, taking in the beauty of the vintage ring.

"It was my grandmother's. That's, uh, what I had to sneak back into the house to get before we left the Vineyard." He said shyly as he slipped the ring on her slender finger.

"It's amazing. I'm so honored." She kissed him again, and they both smiled into each other's mouths. "We should probably eventually make it to dinner, my mom will start to worry." She said, slipping out of his lap.

"I think the only thing she would be worried about was whether or not I'm still alive." He teased as he stood, helping her up.

"You're probably right, we should ease her mind." She said before grinning and making her way back to the car.

They ventured to the nearby restaurant, and were holding hands as they approached the entrance. She let out a shaky sigh, and he brought her left hand to his lips. He kissed the ring on her finger, and she relaxed.

As they made their way to the table, her mother noticed that they were both smiling, and holding hands. Her eyes beamed at the sight, and her attention diverted directly to the sparkle on her finger. Everyone smiled and relaxed at the newest developments.

* * *

DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT

It has been a week since Mulder's proposal, and they were adjusting steadily. He stayed over at her apartment almost every night that week, and slowly he was leaving his belongings there. She was getting ready for work, and running slightly behind schedule when the phone rang.

"Mulder, can you answer that?" She yelled from her bedroom. He was taken back by her request, and smiled at how comfortable she had settled into their relationship.

"Uh, Scully residence." He said, not sure how he should answer.

"Wow, she domesticated you quickly. It's always sad to see the good ones fall so hard." Davis' voice filled the phone.

"You seem to think she's the one wearing the pants in this relationship. I'm wounded by your lack of faith in me, Davis." Mulder said bantering back into the phone just as Scully made her way into the room.

"I've met you both, my statement stands. Can I talk to your better half?" Davis teased.

"She would love to come to the phone right now, but she's already running extremely behind schedule for her job. Her boss should really reprimand her for this tardiness, I just hope he's not too hard on her." He said as he smirked at her.

"Mulder, give me the phone, you've lost your privileges." She said, eyebrow arched, with her hand out. He chuckled and handed her the phone.

"Davis, Sir. What can I do for you?" She asked, still glaring at Mulder.

"I'm assuming you're getting ready to make your way to work, however I'm going to be diverting you to the Hoover building. There's an active case in New York, and they've asked for your assistance. You'll meet with AD Skinner again so he can brief you, and then move forward with his instructions. I know it's last minute, so I'll handle getting the coverage for your classes." Davis said, explaining the reason for his call.

"Okay, I will head over there then. Thank you for the help with my classes, Sir. I'll make sure to follow up once I have an estimate on how long I'll be gone." She answered solemnly. Mulder ducked his head, trying to pretend that he wasn't eavesdropping on her conversation.

"I know it's never a preference to take a case out of town, but you were specifically requested by Jack Willis." Davis said carefully. Scully let out a heavy sigh, and began to rub her temple to relieve the headache she could already feel forming. "I'll try to keep Mulder out of too much trouble while you're gone." He said, easing the tone of the conversation.

"You really shouldn't make empty promises, we all know that's an impossible task." She said letting out a light chuckle. She liked her growing friendship with Davis. It's never something she would have imagined if it weren't for Mulder.

She finished exchanging information with Davis, and could sense Mulder's anxiety rising. She thought she would have some fun with him not knowing.

"Okay, well I should be heading out. Have a good day." She said as she walked over to peck him on the lips. She turned quickly to suppress the devious smirk forming on her face.

"That's it? You're not going to tell me what Davis wanted?" He said in disbelief.

"That's confidential information, Mulder. Very serious business." She said stoically.

"But, you said something about going out of town, and...and...you didn't seem too pleased. You're really not going to tell me?" He said pouting, hoping he could guilt her.

She tried to hide the laughter by covering her mouth with the back of her hand, she caved at the pathetic look on his face.

"You're kind of cute when you're desperate for information." She said as she walked into his embrace.

"Cute enough for you to tell me?"

"I suppose." She said, stifling a laugh. "My assistance has been requested on an active case in New York. I have to head to the Hoover building for a briefing. I, uh, was requested by Jack Willis." She finished quietly. She winced as she felt him stiffen.

"How - uh, how long will you be gone?" He asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure, I'll know more once I'm briefed on what the case is actually about. I'll call you once I know for sure?" She said, trying to ease his worries. This was the first time she's been called out of town since their relationship had progressed drastically.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled down at her, and leaned forward for a kiss. She deepened it, putting promise behind her actions to hopefully ease his worry. He melted into her touch. "Well, if that's what I get every time you leave town, remind me to call Davis to put in a request more often." He said breathily.

"Don't push it, Mulder. I'll call you as soon as I have more information." She said before kissing him again, and reluctantly separating to make her way to her briefing.

* * *

FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT

Mulder had left shortly after Scully went for her meeting. He made his way back to his apartment to do some editing on his final draft of his second book. He had a deadline, and needed to make some final revisions. He was lost in editing, he almost missed his phone ringing. He rushed off the couch to answer it.

"Hey...hello?" He answered hurriedly.

"It's nice to know you're rushing to speak to me on the phone." Scully teased.

"I'm always eager to talk to you, Scully." He leered at her, smiling into the phone.

"Well, you may not be too happy with me after I tell you about my newest excursion." She said with a heavy sigh. "They want me in New York tonight so I can start working as soon as tomorrow. I managed to get a late flight, so I'll have time to prep some lesson plans and pack. They estimate I'll be gone for at least a week, but they're going to limit weekend assignments..."

"Scully, are you indirectly inviting me to visit you in New York?"

"I'm just saying that if you decided to pull a Mulder and show up while I'm working out of town, I wouldn't be too busy on the weekend." She said as she grinned into the phone.

"I would love to surprise you this weekend. I haven't been to New York in a while, it'll be nice to visit the city, oh and you, of course."

"Yeah, yeah. You should probably work on your sweet talking." She said with a chuckle. "Hey, would you be able to drive me to the airport tonight?"

"Oh, I don't know, I was hoping to take my fiance to an early dinner, maybe I can squeeze you in after?" He teased.

"Always the flatterer, Mulder. Meet me back at my place when you're done, and maybe I'll be able to squeeze you in while I'm packing..." She said in a sultry tone.

"Scully..." He whined. "I will drop everything and head to your apartment right now." He said breathily.

"Desperation does not compliment you." She said with a chuckle. "I still have some lesson plans to work on, I'll be home in maybe 2 hours?"

"I will definitely be waiting there for you. I'll pick up lunch on my way, any suggestions?"

"Anything, as long as I get to have you for dessert." She teased.

"Scully...you are playing a very mean game." He growled into the phone. She chuckled at how susceptible he was to her teasing.

"Pick up whatever for lunch, I'll meet you at home later. Try to contain your excitement to see me." She teased.

Mulder had made his way to grab some lunch and head over to Scully's. He was anxious to see her since her teasing sentiments on the phone. He knew it was going to be a long few days until the weekend. He heard the familiar clicking of her shoes as she approached her apartment door. He smiled at the sound, and put the lunch on the table, already forgotten.

As soon as she walked through the door, he engulfed her into his arms, and tried to talk between repeatedly planting kisses on her. "I...really...missed...you..."

She giggled at his eagerness and melted into his embrace. They slowly made their way to the bedroom, leaving lunch abandoned.

"Mulder, how are you going to survive 2 whole days before the weekend?" She teased as she was getting redressed.

"I don't know if I should be left alone for that long, who knows what kind of trouble I can find myself in?" He pouted.

"Don't worry, I have Davis on your detail while I'm gone." She teased at him.

"And so it begins. I'll behave, I promise." He grinned at her. She gave him a questioning look, and crossed her arms. "Okay, I'll try." He said with a chuckle.

They finally ate lunch and she finished packing for her week. The day had unfortunately passed quickly, and Mulder drove her to the airport. She insisted that he just drop her off, but he wanted to wait with her. She finally caved, and secretly loved how attached he was.

As they waited for her flight to begin boarding, she could sense the uneasiness emitting from him. She knew it had to do with her going out of town, but knew they hadn't addressed that she would be working with Jack Willis. She still had heavy apprehensions just being around him, but knew she hopefully would be preoccupied in the morgue, avoiding him for most of her time there.

She grabbed Mulder's hand, and interlocked their fingers together. He smiled down at their hands, taking extra attention in the ring on her finger, and let out a sigh.

"I'm going to miss you." He said in a small voice.

"Me, too. But it's only a few days, I think we can manage." She said, bumping her shoulder to his, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, but now you're forcing me to finish the final revisions on my book. Procrastination is my strongest attribute, Scully." He teased back.

"I thought you prided yourself in your charm?" She said with a smirk on her face.

"Well, the Mulder Charm is simply a natural gift." He leered back before leaning over to kiss her. They both were brought to attention as they began boarding her plane. She let out a heavy sigh and knew it was time for her to leave.

"I will be there Friday night, charm in tow." He said wagging his eyebrows at her. She just chuckled and shook her head at him.

"Gee, I can't wait." She said sarcastically.

"Call me, whenever you get a break, or, uh, if you just need to talk." He said sheepishly, indirectly implying her discomfort about working with Jack.

"I will, I promise. Thank you." She said before stepping into his embrace and planting a promising kiss on his lips. He deepened it by pulling her forward by her hips. She separated from him, and lingered before his lips. She looked up into his eyes and saw the desire and devotion behind them. In this moment, she realized that they had never expressed their feelings directly for each other. It seemed like such a mundane action, considering the physical sentiments and efforts they've made for each other. She smiled to herself, knowing just how to ease his mind until they were able to be together again.

She closed the gap between them again, this time putting more passion behind her kiss. She pulled away and smiled into his agape mouth. "I love you." She said in a small whisper. When she looked up to meet his eyes, they were beaming back at her.

"Scully..." He said in a hushed tone. "I love you, too." He said, smiling, before kissing her a final time. He had been weary about her being away and having to deal with facing her past alone. He was surprised that she was the first to say it, but knew it was a big step for her, and relished in being on the receiving end of her sentiments. He watched her walk to the plane, and let out a heavy sigh. Two days apart may actually drive him crazy now.

* * *

NEW YORK

Scully had made her way to the city, and got herself situated late on Tuesday night. She had luckily avoided having to speak to Jack for any length of time, since it was a big case. They were both busy in their own fields, and he had only a few stolen glances. She was anxious to finish up her last autopsy for the day, since it was the day Mulder was coming to see her for the weekend.

She hadn't worn her ring while working, since it was hard to maneuver during an autopsy, and she just wasn't used to it yet. She was wrapping up on the most recent victim when she heard the morgue door open.

"I haven't had a chance to speak with you, and thank you for your assistance." Jack said smugly as he sauntered into the room. She jumped at his voice, and immediately felt nervousness cloud over her.

"Oh, uh, it was no problem. Glad I could help, it's a pretty heavy case, so I'm sure you need all the extra hands you can have on board." She said passively.

"Well I only request the best." He leered at her, causing her to stiffen at the tone in his voice. "Since you're almost finished here, what do you say we grab an early dinner?"

"I actually have plans this weekend. Thank you for the invite though." She said, avoiding eye contact with him. She could sense him walking towards her, and let out a heavy sigh. She had already been feeling off the last few days, and her anxiety of the situation was making her lightheaded.

"Come on, Dana. We used to enjoy each other's company, I just want to catch up." He said as he stepped next to her. She tried to step away, but the dizziness took over, and she began to fall to the floor. He was close enough to catch her in his arms before she was able to hit the ground.

He tried to wake her up, but she was out cold. He immediately called the paramedics and she was taken the hospital, with him riding in the ambulance alongside her on the way there.

Mulder decided to surprise Scully, and show up earlier than planned. He had hoped she wasn't too busy, and they could extend their weekend slightly. When he arrived to the morgue, he noticed an assistant cleaning up the body, and looked around for her. When he didn't spot her and figured he missed her, but she wasn't answering her cell phone.

"Hi, uh, do you know where I can find Dr. Scully?" He asked the young assistant.

"Oh, she fainted earlier and they took her to the hospital. That's all I've heard." The lab tech said apologetically.

Mulder instantly began to panic, and found out from another agent which hospital she was taken to. He rushed over there, and frantically tried to find out any information he could.

She had slightly regained consciousness on the way to the hospital, so she was just taken to emergency for fluids and to rest. He was escorted to her area, and stopped short upon seeing Jack sitting by her bed. He noticed that she was sleeping again, and approached cautiously.

"How is she?" Mulder asked quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked, genuinely puzzled.

"What happened?" Mulder asked, avoiding Jack's questioning.

"I don't really know, she just kind of passed out. I was luckily there, close enough to catch her so she didn't just hit the floor." He said smugly, trying to claim a territory that was no longer his. Mulder smiled at his attempt, knowing the truth of the situation.

"Well thanks for being there for her in the moment. Did they say what caused her to faint?" Mulder said, not wavering from their standoff.

"No, they took some blood and were going to run some tests. You don't need to wait around, she'll probably be out for a while." Jack said, trying to dismiss him, not knowing his importance in the relationship.

"She's awake." Scully mumbled, rousing from her sleep just in time to catch the end of the conversation.

"Hey..." Mulder said, stepping forward to the other side of the bed that Jack wasn't situated on. He grabbed her hand, and she smiled up at him groggily. "You weren't supposed to play damsel in distress until after your prince charming arrived." He teased, causing her to let out a small chuckle.

"Well it seems like my prince charming isn't very patient, you're about 3 hours earlier than I was expecting you." She said eyeing the clock behind him. He chuckled and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her forehead, both forgetting Jack was in the room.

"I guess I should be leaving, since I'm clearly not needed here anymore." He scoffed before standing to leave.

"Oh, sorry. Thanks, again." She said, giving him a tightlipped smile. "You, uh, remember Mulder right?"

"Yeah, I didn't know this was still a thing." Jack said, trying to rile them both up.

"Uh, yeah, it's kind of a long term thing, I hope. We're engaged." Mulder said defensively. Jack glanced between both of them and just scoffed again before leaving without another word.

"I honestly don't think I've ever seen someone make him so angry. Maybe the Mulder Charm doesn't work on everyone." She teased at him before tightening her grip on his hand.

"I only pull out all the stops for you." He teased back, leaning forward to kiss her on the lips. "What happened?" He asked softly.

"I really don't know. I haven't been feeling too great the last few days, but I just figured it was stress from work and anxiety from this case. He came to talk to me in the morgue, for the first time really since I arrived, and I started to feel lightheaded. I feel like an idiot for psyching myself out enough to faint." She winced.

"The doctor didn't say anything?"

"He said I was slightly dehydrated, and just took some blood to check my glucose levels, and run some generic tests. He should be returning soon. I'm feeling better with fluids though." She said smiling at him.

"Well that's good, because I have an extravagant night of movies and laying in bed now planned for us." He said teasing.

"Sorry if I ruined any plans."

"Scully, the only plan I was concerned about was coming here to spend time with you. Anything else is an added bonus." He said before kissing her again. "Plus, there's a Twilight Zone marathon on this weekend." He said excitedly.

"Mulder..." She whined.

"Oh come on, Scully, they're classics." He said with a small chuckle. They were both interrupted by the doctor reappearing.

"Miss Scully, I have your test results back." He said before spotting Mulder. He paused and looked at her for reassurance to continue in front of the stranger, considering he was different than the man first sitting at her bedside.

"This is my, uh, fiance. Mulder, this is Dr. Lewis." She said making the quiet introduction. He just smiled and nodded at him, confident to continue.

"Well, I guess I should congratulate you, as well. Your blood tests came back positive for pregnancy. I urge you to follow up with your regular doctor once you get home. Your iron was a little low, which is a common symptom, so just watch for anymore lightheadedness. Again, congratulations." The doctor smiled and handed her the discharge papers, making his exit.

Neither Mulder or Scully had moved since they heard the word _pregnancy_. Scully was sitting wide-eyed, staring straight ahead at where the doctor once stood. Mulder finally let out the shaky breath he didn't realize he was holding in, and opened and closed his mouth several times to say something, but no words could form. Their heart beats were both fluttering rapidly, and the grip they both had on each other's hands were tighter.

"Scully..." He finally said in a breathy whisper. She jumped at the sound of his voice, breaking her from her reverie. He glanced towards her, and noticed the shocked look on her face, matching his own. She waited for him to follow up his thoughts. "Did - did he just? You're..."

"Yeah, yeah he did. I'm - We're..." She said, confirming his half thoughts with her own.

Scully sat, still not moving, and tightening her grip on Mulder's hand. She mulled over everything about their relationship, and what had lead them to be here in this moment. The thought she found most amusing, was that she wasn't scared about this new revelation. The person she was before Mulder entered her life would have ran screaming for the hills at the first sign of emotions. She never allowed someone to get this close to her so quickly before. She knew their connection was strong from their first date, but never would have imagined she would be sitting here only a few months later, engaged, and pregnant with his child. She smiled at the last thought, and finally glanced over at him.

He waited patiently for her to make a move, trying to gage her feelings. He was still attempting to compose his own thoughts, but the feel of pure joy was radiating through him. He noticed Scully glance towards him, and could see the dazzle in her eyes. The small smile began to spread to a full grin on her face, and the tears began to sting her eyes.

"A baby." She whispered as a small tear escaped her eye.

" _Our_ baby." He whispered back, leaning forward to cradle her face in his hand. He kissed where the tear landed on her cheek, and then her forehead. He lingered over her lips, and they both gazed into each other's eyes, and smiled. He sealed their unspoken emotions with a kiss, both excited about what this meant for their future, together.


	14. Chapter 14

DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT

It had been a few months since Scully's pregnancy was found out and she returned from New York. They were settling into their new life together, but hadn't made the final step to share each other's living space. Mulder stayed at her apartment most of the week, and his things had slowly migrated to her place. It wasn't that they didn't want to live together, neither of them had made the move to mention it.

"Hey Scully, have you seen my wallet anywhere?" Mulder asked as he was searching through the living room.

"Did you check the kitchen counter? That's where I found it the last 10 times." She said teasing. She smiled at the small morning routines they had inhabited.

"You're a genius, Scully. Did I ever tell you that?" He said as he enclosed on her and gathered her in his arms. He leered at her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Mm, I might have heard it once or twice before, but a daily reminder would be nice." She said leaning into his embrace. He could feel the small swell of her growing stomach resting between them. He reached under her coat, and rested his hands on the sides of her hips. She smiled at the gesture.

"Beauty and brains, I'm starting to think I really scored here." He said with a grin.

"Well, you are getting the better deal in this relationship." She said with a sly smirk. He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her on the lips.

"I figured I should probably make sure nothing else has died in my fridge, so I was going to just head over to my apartment tonight after all my work meetings. I'll see you tomorrow?" He said cautiously. He loved spending a majority of his time at Scully's, but didn't want her to feel too crowded.

"Oh, sure, fine. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." She said in a small voice. She didn't mind him being in her space, and knew it would feel weird with him missing, even if it was just for one night. She just smiled and finished gathering her things to head to work.

They walked out to their cars together, and embraced for a lingering goodbye. She looked up and smiled at him, and knew that even just one night was going to feel like forever. He smiled down at her with a loving gleam in his eyes and gave her one last parting kiss.

* * *

QUANTICO, VA

When she arrived to work, she found a package sitting on her desk. She curiously made her way to pick it up, and smiled when she opened it. It was the advance author's copy of Mulder's book, and she had been begging him to read it. She flipped open the first page, and read the inscription with a full grin on her face.

 _Scully,_

 _I hope these written words help you understand what I cannot speak._

 _Love,_

 _Mulder_

She smiled and flipped to the page with the dedication. She chuckled at another cheesy pathology joke staring back at her, and shook her head. She didn't hear Davis make his way into her office.

"You know, I've known the guy 6 years and I've only gotten so much as a cheap beer every once in a while. I'm still waiting on my entire book series dedication." He said teasing as he strolled into the small room. She smiled at his entrance, enjoying their newly established friendship.

"I wish I could tell you my secrets, but I honestly don't even know how it happened. One day I was hunting down the stalker hiding in the back of my class, and the next thing I know, I'm engaged and pregnant." She said with a small smile. She paused when she saw Davis' full grin and amused look on his face, and realized what she said. They hadn't told anyone about her pregnancy yet, not even her family.

"Well, I guess that's the secret then. I was never going to win this battle, clearly." He said with a smirk on his face. "Congratulations, to you both."

"Thank you." She said as she bit her lip. "I, uh, we haven't exactly told anyone yet, it's still new for us. I -" She stammered out anxiously.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, but I can't promise that I won't harass Mulder about being officially whipped, before extending my congrats, of course." He said with a chuckle.

"Oh, of course." She said with a small grin.

"Well, I'll leave you to your lesson plans. Let me know if you need anything, congrats again." He said before he made his exit. She smiled to herself, reveling in this life that she would have never imagined for herself only a few short months ago.

She had made it through her first class, fighting back some lingering morning sickness. She had a relatively long break between classes today, so she made her way to one of her favorite cafes for lunch, hoping soup would settle her stomach. As she was strolling through town, enjoying the day, she stopped in her tracks at the sight before her. From far away, she could see Valentina walking on the opposite side of the street. She knew she was probably out of her eyeshot, and didn't feel it was appropriate to say hello. As she approached closer, it wasn't the sight of the other woman that caused Scully to stop, it was the small child that she was walking with, holding her hand. Scully estimated that he was about 7 or 8 years old, and she instantly paled at the math that she did in her head, based on what Mulder had told her about their relationship. Lunch forgotten, and she needed to have a more definitive answer.

She crossed the street, behind where they were walking, so she was close enough to hear them, but far enough away to not be noticed. Her breath caught in her throat when she heard the small boy call her 'mama.' She quickly diverted in the opposite direction, and made her way back to work, she needed to be alone.

She sat at her office desk, completely in a daze. She wanted to believe that she was overreacting, but she knew what she saw and heard. She was instantly angry that Mulder never mentioned it to her, but then the thought that he didn't know took over her mind. There were so many emotions running through her, and she knew none of them would be put at ease until she talked to Mulder. This conversation was definitely needed to be discussed in person, that much she knew. She remembered that he wouldn't be coming to her apartment tonight, but couldn't wait. After finishing her plans for her last class, she made her way to the lecture hall, masking her nerves about today's discoveries.

* * *

FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT

He had a day full of meetings at his publisher's office, and was exhausted. He was already missing Scully, since he hadn't talked to her today, and wasn't going to be seeing her until some time tomorrow. He sluggishly made his way up to his apartment, and was startled as soon as he walked through the door.

"Scully?" He asked quizzically as he entered. He would have made a joke, if it wasn't for the panicked look on her face.

"Hey, sorry for just showing up. I was going to call, but uh, I thought this was best to discuss in person." She said sitting on his couch, not making eye contact. He immediately began to worry, and slowly approached her.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a hushed voice. He settled next to her, maintaining a distance.

"Mulder, I -" She paused, letting out a heavy breath. "While I was at lunch today, I saw Valentina. I, uh, didn't stop her to say hi or anything, but she...she was with someone. A child, a small boy. He looked like he was about 7 or 8, and I don't know." She said, fighting back her emotions. She still hadn't looked at him, but immediately felt him stiffen at her words. She licked her lips nervously, unsure about how to move on from here.

"You, uh, you're positive?" He finally spoke.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. By your surprise, I'm assuming you didn't know..."

"No, of course not. Scully, if I would have known even anything about it, I would have told you. I don't want you to think I was keeping anything from you, ever." He said, reaching from her hand.

"I think you need to talk to her Mulder. At least find out some answers. I, could it be possible that her child is yours?"

"I don't know. I mean, we were together for almost 2 years, and she left so abruptly. I didn't talk to her until that afternoon when we saw her in the restaurant. I just, don't know what to think about it." He said in a small voice.

Both of them were completely lost in their thoughts, not knowing what to do about the newest developments. Scully knew she was being foolish, feeling this upset about something not even Mulder could control. She knew this was going to be hard to tell him, but never imagined what the truth could actually cause.

"Thank you, for telling me. I know this must have been hard for you." He said, interlocking their fingers.

"It's been eating at me all day, and I knew I should tell you in person." She said, gripping onto his hand tighter. "Plus, I missed you."

"You - you're not mad?" He asked incredulously. He couldn't read her, going into this, and was worried that these new revelations would create a problem for them.

"No, upset, maybe. More so for you, for us. If, uh, if he is yours, I know there will be some adjustments, but I hope you know I'm not going anywhere." She said with a small smile, bumping his shoulder with hers. "Especially tonight, I'm exhausted, and I don't plan on leaving." She said with a teasing smile.

"Good, because I probably would have snuck into your bed at some point in the middle of the night." He said, bantering back. They had hardly spent any time apart since finding out about the baby.

"Well, it would have been more than welcome."

"You know, Scully...we could make that, uh, a permanent thing."

"I thought that's what this ring on my finger implied?" She said teasing him.

"Psh, that's just for show." He said teasing back. "But, uh, I am serious. I've been thinking about it, and I think we should start looking into places, for us."

"I've been waiting for you to ask." She said with a small smirk. "I've gotten used to you sharing my bed, I figured you'd just slowly migrate to my place."

"That was the original plan, but I thought I'd take the classy route." He said teasingly.

"You should probably always stick to plan b from now on, Mulder." She said with a small chuckle. She let out a long sigh as she glanced down at their intertwined hands. "Before we do anything, I think you need to talk to Valentina, sort that out." She said in a small whisper.

"I know, and I will. I'll stop by the restaurant tomorrow, and see what I can find out. I promise, nothing I find out will change anything with us." He said, pulling her into his lap.

"Good, because I don't plan to give this up without a fight. Did, uh, do you want me to go with you?" She asked cautiously.

"As much as I would love you by my side, I think I need to approach this alone, for now. I will call you as soon as I'm done talking to her, I promise." He said planting a passionate kiss on her lips. She melted into his embrace, and turned so that she was facing him fully. She was straddling his lap, and their kiss deepened as she placed her hands on the back of his neck. He pulled her forward by her hips, and she gasped at the contact of his erection.

"I love you." He whispered into her mouth. She smiled at him, and leaned down to kiss him again, sealing their emotions. She knew they were going to be facing a new challenge, but she had reassurance that whatever the outcome, they were going to make it out together.

* * *

ITALIAN RESTAURANT

After spending his evening with Scully wrapped in his arms, Mulder knew he needed answers sooner, rather than later. He didn't want to waste any more time not knowing the truth, and needed to erase any apprehensions that clouded his current relationship. He made his way to the Italian restaurant to speak with Valentina. He wasn't positive on how to approach this situation, but knew he would be able to hopefully coax it out of her.

"Fox? What are you doing here?" Valentina asked as she was nearing him sitting at a table.

"Hey, I just came back to talk, I wasn't completely satisfied with how we left things last time." He said carefully.

"What more is there to talk about?" She said bitterly. He winced at the tone in her voice. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, and his original rejection was adding fuel to the fire.

"I just - I want to know what happened, why you left, why you came back?" He said, feigning hurt by her past actions.

"You knew why I left, I wasn't ready for that commitment, I was scared. I came back because..." She paused, letting out a heavy sigh. "I had some personal things that just weren't working there anymore. I needed my family, for support, so I came back."

"Would it have anything to do with the child you were walking with yesterday?" He asked accusingly.

"How did - how did you know about him?"

"I didn't, until yesterday. Valentina, I just have to know, I mean, his age, is he...?" He stammered. He couldn't form the words that were bouncing sporadically through his head. He needed answers, but wasn't sure if he could face them.

"No...as much as I would like to think so, no. I met a guy as soon as I got to Italy, and he reminded me of you. I fell hard into a whirlwind facade of a romance, and we had Antonio. Things turned ugly after a while, and I needed to get away, I needed to get us both away." She said in a small voice. He let out a heavy sigh of relief, and covered her hand with his for support.

"I just needed to know, I didn't mean to cause you anymore pain."

"I understand, I would want to know, too. Are you, uh, still with...?"

"Yeah, we are engaged. I'm, we're really happy." He said with a grin on his face.

"I'm happy for you, I am. I'm just sorry that I was so foolish and selfish back then. I'm glad we got to talk again." She said as she began to stand from the table. She nodded and smiled before escaping to the back.

Mulder felt a giant relief had washed away, and he couldn't wait to tell Scully. He smiled to himself, and ordered a slice of the chocolate cake to go from the restaurant, and made his way to visit her at work.

* * *

QUANTICO, VA

Scully had a full schedule today, and she was already exhausted by lunch time. She knew Mulder was planning to talk to Valentina today and couldn't shake the nervousness flowing through her. Her first two classes had passed by quickly, and she still hadn't heard from him by lunch.

"Mulder."

"Hey, it's me. I was just checking in. I, uh, hadn't heard from you." She said anxiously. He smiled at the sound of her voice, knowing she would have called eventually. He was already walking towards her office, chocolate cake in tow.

"Sorry the day just got away from me. I'm actually in the middle of doing something with great importance to me, mind if I call you back?" He said mysteriously. He knew he wasn't playing a fair game, and he hoped she wouldn't let her mind wander too much in his 2 minute walk to her office.

"Oh, uh, sure. I'll probably be in class, I'm just on lunch right now. I'll, uh, yeah just call me." She stammered out. He picked up the pace at the worried tone in her voice, not wanting her to jump to any conclusions that weren't valid. She disconnected the call, just as he was approaching her office. He peered inside the sliver of the open door.

He saw her put her phone on her desk, and close her eyes, covering her face with her hands. She leaned back in her chair, and rested her hands on her small bump for comfort. He loved watching her in these candid moments, it's what made him fall in love with her in the first place.

"Uh, Professor Scully, I have some more questions about that personal assignment." He said as he knocked on her door and entered slowly. She was startled to see him there, but began to smile at his arrival.

"More anatomy lessons?" She said as her eyebrow began to raise and a smirk appeared on her face.

"Well, if you insist." He leered at her before stepping towards her, and leaning down for a kiss. She just smiled and shook her head at him in amusement.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said you were in the middle of something." She asked, eyeing the box in his hand.

"I am. Bringing my pregnant fiance a piece of heavenly chocolate cake is of great importance to me." He said with a sly smirk. Her eyes gleamed, and he chuckled at her excitement.

"Is this because you feel the need to soften a blow?" She asked cautiously as she took her first bite.

"There is no blow to soften. We talked, she told me she met some guy as soon as she got to Italy, and he reminded her of me, minus the unique charm, of course."

"Oh, of course." She said sarcastically. She relaxed from hearing the news, knowing that this problem was washing away, and they could now fully move forward together.

"That's all there is to it." He said with a shrug. "You know, if I had to soften a blow, I would have brought something shiny. I'm almost hurt by your lack of faith in me."

"I'll make sure to remember that for next time." She said with a sly smirk growing on her face. "So you came down here just to bring me chocolate cake?"

"Well, I may have had some ulterior motives." He said scratching his chin. "I, uh, also talked with my family's realtor before coming here. There's a house, in this area, that we can look at after you're done with work. If you still want to..." His voice drifted off.

"You've had an eventful day, haven't you?" She said jokingly. "I'd love to. I'll be done around 4 today, if that's not too late?"

"That's perfect, I'm sure I can find something to get myself into trouble with for the next few hours." He said excitedly.

"Don't make me call Davis." She said stoically, causing him to chuckle.

"I thought I heard my name, is this man harassing you? I can call security." Davis said, entering the room. "You know, there's been reports of a strange man lurking around your classroom. Funny, matches his description perfectly." He said teasingly.

"Ha ha, Davis. Always the charmer." Mulder said, greeting his old friend.

"Unfortunately he'll be harassing me for the rest of my life, I suppose I have you to thank for that." She said sarcastically, getting ready to leave for her next class. "I'm off to my lecture, please, at least attempt to stay out of trouble." She said before kissing Mulder and making her exit. The two men just chuckled and shook their heads.

After Scully's last two lectures, she was ready to head home. She completely forgot about the house, and internally groaned at the thought of having to stay on her feet. Mulder made his way back to her office just as she was packing things up.

"You ready to go?" He said too cheerfully for her.

"Yeah, just finishing some stuff up." She said distractedly. He immediately began to worry that he was pushing her to do too much too soon, and needed to reassure her.

"Scully, we can save this for another day. I don't want to rush you if you're not ready for, this. Let me just call my realtor, and I can take you home." He said quickly.

"No, Mulder...I want this, I do. I don't want you to doubt that. I'm just exhausted, I'm sorry." She said, settling herself into his arms, and holding him at the waist. She looked up into his eyes, and could see the apprehensions about her words. She let one hand snake to the back of his head, and pulled it down towards her, melding their lips together. When they finally separated, he smiled down at her, grabbing her hand to lead them to the car.

They arrived at the nice, quiet neighborhood, and she looked around at the houses. They all were nicely built, and stunning in their own way. She instantly loved the area, and was excited to see what house Mulder had found. They pulled up in the driveway of a modest two story house. There was a brick walkway, and a wrap-around porch on the front with a swing seat, and small plants perched on the railing. She was instantly captivated by just the house's outside appearance, and couldn't wait to see inside. He led her to the front door, and smiled nervously at her before opening it and making their entrance.

Scully glanced around, and immediately was captivated by the place. There was a large living room, and a well equipped kitchen. There was also a small den off to the other side of the entryway that looked like it was set up for an office. She walked in further, and gleamed at gorgeous backyard. She just stood in the back doorway, taking in the scenery, and he approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her.

"Do you like it so far?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"I do, Mulder this house is amazing, and it's huge. I haven't even made it upstairs yet, and I can tell you this is way too much." She said in amazement of her surroundings.

"But in a perfect world, if you could have this house, would you want it?"

"Yes, I suppose if I'm going for extreme possibilities here." She said teasingly.

"Good, keep that thought process while I show you upstairs." He said mischievously as he led her to the master bedroom. She gasped at the size of the room, and the balcony that protruded from the bedroom sliding glass door. Her excitement overtook her, and she began to search the rest of the rooms in the house. She smiled at all of the four bedrooms, and finally made her way back to Mulder, who was leaning against the railing at the top of the stairs.

"This place is amazing." She said, eyes gleaming.

"I'm glad you like it. It's, uh, already been sold." He said in a small voice. She looked at him confused, wondering why he would bring her to a house that wasn't even on the market. She loved this house, but knew it was way out of any price bracket that she would even consider looking in. He caught on to her quizzical look, and flashed her a smug grin. He pulled out a small box, with a tiny bow on top, and handed it to her.

"Open it." He said in a whisper. She furrowed her brow further, completely confused about everything, and shakily opened the box.

"Mulder...is this...?" She began to say, realization hitting her as she stared at the shiny silver key. She fought back the tears in her eyes, and glanced up at him again.

"I hope you're not mad, I came to look at this house right after I got back from visiting you that weekend in New York. It just felt right, so I bought it. We're only here today to finalize everything, and add your name and signatures. I didn't mean to just assume anything, I just loved this house, and hoped you would, too. I don't know, I guess grand gestures are kind of my thing, and I-" His stammering was cut off by her lips, and his anxiety quickly dissipated. He engulfed her in his arms, and deepened their embrace.

She had never had anyone make such an effort to ensure her happiness in life. She always found herself in relationships with rather controlling men, and Mulder was the complete opposite. Sure, he controlled situations, and made leaps, but never without her as his first thought. She reluctantly separated from him, and just gazed into his warm eyes. She couldn't remember why she ever had any doubts about their relationship in the beginning, or how fast it was moving. She knew this was right.

"Thank you." She whispered into his agape mouth, her own lips lingering in front of his.

"You're not mad?" He said, trying to mask the worry in his voice.

"No, it's perfect. I can't believe you just, bought a house." She said, composing herself again and taking in her surroundings.

"I, uh, know we haven't really talked about certain things, like, money..." He started to say cautiously. She froze at his words, realizing that they've never had these kind of conversations with everything moving so fast. "But, Scully, we can have pretty much anything we want. I don't ever want you to worry about that. I've made a good living, with my books, and some family money."

"I would say I question your taste by judging your apartment then, but this house definitely makes up for that." She said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood of the conversation. He just chuckled in response.

"Yeah, that was where I wrote my first book, so it just kind of stuck with me. It became like a weird superstition for me to keep writing there." He said with a shrug.

"So, what are you going to do without your writing sanctuary?"

"Well, I planned to just move my couch and coffee table to the downstairs den, and make that my office. My man cave." He said, pretending to puff out his chest. She just smiled at his antics, and shook her head.

"Fair enough. Mulder, I still can't believe this is our house." She said, still amazed by what he had done for her. She could sense him getting nervous, avoiding another conversation. "Something else you want to tell me?"

"Uh, well, this isn't the only house I own. The house on Martha's Vineyard, that used to be my parent's, but when they divorced, I inherited it." He said avoiding her eyes. She let the new information mull over in her head, not having any idea what she had gotten herself into.

"Why didn't you tell me when we were there?" She said in disbelief.

"I don't know, I just didn't want you to judge me based on the money I had. Believe it or not, there was a time where I dressed a little nicer than this to go out and try to get women. They could instantly sense how much money I had by small things like my watch, my suit jacket, or my shoes. They were savages, and I changed things up, lived a simpler lifestyle. I fell into the shadows, just going about my own business. I felt taken advantage of too many times in my life, so I promised myself that if I was serious about someone, they would love me for me. Call me a hopeless romantic, or maybe it's a sob story, but that's how it is." He said with a small shrug. She didn't know a lot about his past, but knew he needed to occasionally be reassured of how much she cared, just to ease his mind that she wasn't going anywhere.

"I just took the easy route and got knocked up to ensure my stay here." She said with a small smirk on her face. He finally looked up and grinned back at her, reveling in how well they just worked together.

"Yeah, but that's going to get really awkward when I find my next muse and move her in here, too." He teased, pulling her back into his arms by her coat.

"Unless that next 'her' is a dog, you might want to rethink that." She said as her eyebrow began to rise, the smirk never leaving her face.

"Yes, dear." He teased, leaning down to kiss her nose. She froze as a thought passed through her mind, and he immediately could sense it. "What's wrong?"

"I, uh, was just thinking, with these newfound revelations, I-" She stammered.

"Don't make me guess, Scully." He said gently, urging her to go on.

"I want to get married at the house in the Vineyard. If that's okay...just close friends and family, keep it simple and intimate." She said in a hushed voice.

He smiled down at her hopeful face, and just leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. She melted into his touch, and he pulled her tighter into his embrace, securing their shared sentiments.

They were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening, and had to compose themselves. He smiled and pecked her on the lips again, taking her hand and leading her downstairs.

"Mulder! I was just going to go searching for you. I have all the papers, and I'm running late already, so I need to make this quick." Anita said distractedly.

"Sure. Anita, this is Dana." He said making the introductions. She wasn't used to hearing him call by her first name, and it caught her slightly off guard. She smiled warmly and shook the elderly woman's hand. She was older, but had a certain vanity radiating from her.

"So you're the one who has Fox here wrapped around his little finger? I've known this man nearly his entire life, and I've never seen him this lovesick. It's quite amusing." She said, teasing Mulder. He winced at her words, and shook his head.

"Well that's enough introductions for today, you said you were in a hurry, wouldn't want to hold you behind any further." He said smoothly. Scully smiled at the interaction, and loved seeing a glimpse into his past.

They quickly signed the papers, and Anita rushed off to her next meeting. Scully needed a minute to let everything from today settle in her mind, and made an escape to the balcony attached to the master bedroom. He gave her some time before joining her and sneaking up from behind, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame.

"So when are we making our way to the Vineyard again?" He asked as she smiled.

"I was actually thinking pretty soon. I figured we could, uh, make the baby announcement at the wedding." She said quietly.

"Trying to avoid a few good ol' Scully interrogations I see?" He said teasing her.

"Something like that. I just figured it would be easiest that way, but we would need to do it before it's just obvious." She said settling her hands on her stomach. He closed his hands over hers, and the both smiled, relaxing into their stance.

"Just tell me when, and I'll make it happen." He whispered in her ear. She fought back tears, and turned to look at him. She could see the love and devotion shining through his eyes, and a small tear escaped.

"Thank you, I don't know what I did to deserve you." She said in a voice barely audible even to herself.

"Scully, I really am getting the better deal here." He said with a smile. He leaned down to kiss her, fastening their newest conquest. Neither of them had ever imagined they'd be in this moment, but they wouldn't dare to imagine being anywhere else.

"Let's go plan a wedding then." He said, wagging his eyebrows at her. She let out an amused chuckle, and the smile remained on her face, knowing she made the right choice.


	15. Chapter 15

MARTHA'S VINEYARD

Mulder and Scully spent the next month planning their intimate weekend at the Vineyard, taking everyone by surprise. Her family was excited for her, and knew that this was the happiest they'd ever seen her. Both of her brothers were rather hesitant about this man that just turned her life completely upside down, considering they hadn't met him yet.

Mulder's parents were skeptical about the woman who completely captivated him in a short matter of months. They never had met her, or any woman that he dated since Valentina. Both of them were also apprehensive about making their way back to the house on the Vineyard.

"Did you pack your swimsuit, Scully? We could always partake in some hot tub festivities before the heard stampeded in." He said wagging his eyebrows at her. It was the day everyone was supposed to arrive, and they had made their way up a few days prior, to have time to themselves and get everything ready.

"As much as I would love to, I don't think our little surprise would be easy to hide if someone decides to show up early, like I'm fully expecting my mother to." She said as she leaned into his embrace. He wrapped his arms around her, and enclosed his lips on hers. She deepened the kiss, and he walked them towards the couch, never breaking contact. Just as he sat down, she straddled him, and their breathing became shallow. They reluctantly broke apart as they heard the wheels of a car pulling up into the gravel driveway.

"Told you." She said with a heavy sigh, leaving their entanglement.

"Actually, that would be my mother. Always prompt for time." He said with a wince as he looked out the window. "I'm already going to apologize for anything that comes out of her mouth, and just remember that I love you." He said leaning down to peck her on the lips.

"Fox, it's always so good to see you. I guess it takes surprising circumstances for you to visit with your mother now." She said stoically. He instantly sighed and helped her bring her bags inside. Scully was fixing her disheveled state, nervous about meeting the people important in Mulder's life.

"Not that surprising, mother. We've been together for a little while now." He said confidently. "Let's get you settled inside. I have you in the guest house, if that's okay with you."

"That'll be fine for the weekend, thank you." She said with a slight nod as she entered the house. She stopped in her tracks upon glancing at the house she left behind so many years ago. She transferred her gaze to the small, redheaded woman coming in from the kitchen.

"Mom, this is Dana Scully, my soon to be keeper for life." He said with a cheesy smile. Scully chuckled and smiled at him, shaking her head. She returned her to attention back to the pristine woman standing before her, and smiled warmly.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Scully said, extending her left hand to the woman in greeting. Teena Mulder glanced down at the ring on this stranger's finger, and shot her eyes directly to her son. Her gaze bore into him, and she wordlessly made her way to the guesthouse. He let out a heavy sigh, and closed his eyes, burying his head in his hands.

"Still remember that I love you?" He said sheepishly, embarrassed for his mother's actions. He plopped down on the couch, and threw his head back, exhausted with his family already.

"Apparently I need to take some lessons in that Mulder charm of yours." She said nervously. He pulled her to stand between his legs, and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her stomach. She smiled at the notion, and ran her hand through his hair.

"Oh, you've got me completely charmed, trust me. I'm sorry, for my mother. Hopefully my dad will just drink and stay quiet in the corner. Not all of us are lucky enough to come from such loving families."

"Yeah, my overbearing, way too involved, loving family. At least it'll be a good balance for the weekend." She scoffed.

"I'll talk to her, so she's at least pleasant during dinner tonight, and especially for tomorrow. Nothing is going to change the fact that I'm going to stand up and marry you in the most perfect setting tomorrow."

"I'm starting to think we should have made this even more intimate, like just you and me."

"It's not too late to run away, Scully." He teased. She chuckled and leaned down to kiss him. She sighed at the sound of more tires on the gravel, knowing this weekend already felt like the longest they would ever have to face.

As everyone made their way to the house on the Vineyard, Mulder and Scully played host, making casual pleasantries with each guest. They were both apprehensive to meet the family that they hadn't yet made acquaintances with, and it became overwhelming.

Mulder snuck away, realizing that Scully was nowhere to be found on the main level of the house, and went to find her. He smiled as he approached the master room, and saw her standing on the balcony that overlooked the water. He crept up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her stomach.

"I figured I'd find you here." He whispered into her ear. She leaned into his embrace, and placed her hands over his.

"I just needed a minute. I didn't mean to throw you to the wolves alone."

"Nah, I like to think I've been handling myself pretty well. Plus, I have Davis as backup. Although, he was no help when I was subjected to your brothers' interrogation."

"Wow, you got them both at once? You must be something special if you survived." She said sarcastically. They both reveled in this small moment of solitude.

"Dinner is starting soon, so we should probably get back downstairs. I still have to speak with my mom, too."

"Your dad at least didn't seem to completely hate me." She scoffed.

"Hey..." He said, turning her to face him. He lifted her chin to allow her gaze to meet his. "I don't care what anyone thinks about our relationship, because it's ours. Yeah, it was a little unconventional, and moved rather quickly, but I know in my heart that it's right. I've never met someone who enchanted me the minute they walked into the room, or someone who even bothers to put up with my antics the way you do. I love you, and I can't wait to start our family." He finished and glanced down at her small stomach. The bump was barely starting to show, still easily hidden by loose clothes.

She searched his eyes and saw the truth radiating through them. She could read the passion and devotion that he felt for her, and all of her worries dissipated. She never doubted their relationship, but the intensity of it often terrified her.

"I don't stand a fair chance matching your words about how I feel, you know, considering the whole writer thing." She said lightly. "But I hope you know how happy I am, and how exhilarating my life has been since you graced it with your presence. We've definitely gone through a lot in our short time, which only makes me confident that we can get through anything, together. I love you." She said in a whisper.

"Damn, we probably should have just saved all of this for tomorrow. Don't be disappointed when I just repeat all this for my vows." He teased as he leaned down to place a meaningful kiss on her lips. "I love you, too. Come on, they've probably put a search warrant out for us already."

They rejoined the small gathering, just as everyone was getting situated for dinner. Mulder offered to retrieve his mom from the guest house, knowing he needed to speak with her alone. He let out a heavy sigh, and Scully gave his hand a squeeze of support before he made his way.

"Mom? It's just about time for dinner. I was just coming to let you know." He said as he slowly made his way into the room.

"Thank you, I'll be out shortly." She said deadpanned.

"I think we need to talk."

"Talk about what, Fox?" She asked distractedly.

"Oh I don't know, talk about how you completely dismissed my soon to be wife when she tried to be nothing but nice to you."

"Don't take that tone with me, I'm here as a favor to you. I just don't understand your relationship, but I am happy if you're happy."

"What is there to understand? We love each other, and she's the best thing to ever happen to me. I don't need your approval, I was just hoping for your well wishes, I suppose."

"She's wearing the family ring. I didn't think it was that serious."

"Well you are here for our wedding." He scoffed, wanting to escape this conversation every second that it continued.

"Yes, but I seem to recall you being engaged before, and she didn't wear that ring. I guess it just took me by surprise. I'm sorry if I seemed rude." She said impassively.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. I should be joining my guests, I hope you decide to make an appearance as well." He said before exiting the room.

He made his way back to the main house, and Scully could immediately sense the annoyance emitting from him. She met him halfway through his path, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"That good, huh?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood. He wordlessly captured her lips with his, and she melted into his embrace.

"I got it over with, that's all that matters." He said with a heavy sigh, before kissing her again. He noticed her stiffen as they separated, and gave her a quizzical look. She looked past him, and then met his eyes before bowing her head, licking her lips nervously. He glanced behind him, and exhaled deeply.

"I'm glad you decided to join us." He said as his mother approached them.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it. May we have a moment?" She asked before glancing towards Scully and back at her son.

"Uh, sure..." He said slowly. He saw the wide-eyed look on Scully's face, and shrugged with an apologetic smile. He kissed her on the temple before making his way back to the house.

Scully turned her attention back to Teena standing before her, seeming as uncomfortable as she was. There was an awkward silence before either of them found their voice.

"He's, uh, really grateful that you're here. We both are." Scully said in a whisper.

"I appreciate you trying to mend this, relationship, that my son and I share. It's been rather difficult between us, for a long time." She paused, trying to find the right words. "I just want to apologize, for my behavior earlier. This whole thing has taken me by surprise, although my son doesn't tell me much about the events in his life."

"I'm sorry, that you didn't really know about any of this until you were invited for the wedding. Believe me, I know how fast and insane this all seems." She scoffed.

"That's definitely one word for it, but I know that he believes it's right. I was more taken back by the sight of my mother's ring on your finger. It has a great significance that he gave it to you, it means he believes that you are truly the one he's meant to be with. I was most shocked by that, and I do apologize how I handled the surprise. I wish you both the best." She said, trying to muster a smile. Teena didn't know anything about the woman standing before her, and knew she never would if she pushed them both away now.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me, to us." Scully said, subconsciously playing with the ring on her finger. She knew this weekend was going to be eventful, but she had never anticipated having a heart to heart with Mulder's mom, given everything she was told about the woman.

They both made their way back to the main house just as everyone was settling at the table. Scully took her spot next to Mulder, and gave him a reassuring smile. He reached over to grab her hand, and she immediately interlocked their fingers, resting their hands in her lap. He leaned in and kissed her temple gently, diminishing any doubts that either of them had. She gazed into his eyes, and they passed silent sentiments between each other, knowing that tomorrow was going to be the best day of their lives.

Mulder woke the next morning, and panicked when he reached over for Scully, and only found an empty bed. He startled awake, and finally noticed the note on her pillow.

 _Good morning,_

 _I've been kidnapped in the tradition that the groom does not see his bride until the wedding._

 _I'll see you later, I'll be the one in white._

 _Love,_

 _Scully_

He chuckled at her light-hearted note, and smiled, knowing that this was the woman he was going to wake up to for the rest of his life. He let out a shaky sigh, and began to get ready for the eventful day.

As time approached, everyone was buzzing around with last minute adjustments. Mulder was dressed in his suit, and already making his way outside. Scully agreed to let him organize the set up, after much begging and convincing on his end. He smiled as he approached the small archway he had set right on the edge of the water. He wanted her to get married as close to the water as possible, hopefully giving her the sense that her late father was nearby. He knew how much the water held a personal meaning for her, and wanted everything to be perfect.

He situated himself in front of the archway that was decorated with her favorite flowers, and small sea shells. Davis stood beside him, and the priest stood on the other side. He knew how important it was to Scully's family's religion to be married by someone of the Catholic Church. He smiled as everyone started to turn their attention towards the main house, where Scully made her entrance from.

He saw Melissa walking towards him with a smirk on her face, and he winked at her. She was the one who helped set up everything, and they both relished in their handy work. It was also her job to keep Scully away from the area before that day. When he glanced back towards the rows of chairs, his breath caught in his throat at the sight of her.

Scully was wearing a simply elegant, cream colored dress that fell to the floor. It was fitted at the top, and flowed freely just below the bodice, hiding the small swell of her stomach. It had a lace layer overlay, and was perfectly her in every way.

They held each other's gaze as she made her way slowly down the aisle, led by her brother, Bill, on her arm. She smiled at Mulder as she reached the front of the aisle, and he took her hands in his. He kissed the back of her left ring finger, implying the promise they were about to make.

As the priest spoke, and they exchanged their vows, they never broke eye contact. They spoke so many nonverbal sentiments with their gazes, and blocked out the rest of the world. It wasn't until Mulder was instructed to place the ring on Scully's finger that they realized anyone else was around.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." The priest smiled at them, and they turned their attention back to each other.

Mulder smiled, eyes gleaming, and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips. She opened her mouth slightly, and reached up to cradle her hand on his cheek. He pulled her in by her hips, and deepened the kiss. She chuckled into his mouth, breaking the contact as everyone cheered. He pecked her on the lips, and they turned to see the excited faces of their friends and family.

After several minutes of everyone standing and offering their congratulations to the newlywed couple, Mulder made the announcement for everyone to head back towards the small reception area he had setup. The two of them stayed behind, needing a moment for themselves. She stood under the archway, staring at the water, as everyone cleared out of the area. He approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in his embrace.

"I wanted it to be by the water, I know it's what makes you happiest." He said in a small whisper, before placing a gentle kiss on her neck just below her ear.

"You make me happiest." She said cuddling into his embrace further. "Mulder, all of this was amazing. I can't believe you managed to make this day so, perfect."

"Well, I had to top all of my other grand gestures, and believe me, it was tough, I set the bar pretty high." He said as she chuckled. "But I wanted to give you everything, because you deserve nothing less."

"You know, all this sweet talking would make me call bullshit, but, uh, I finished your second book this week. I know your feelings for me are genuine." She said with a sly smirk on her face. She leaned back just far enough to meet his eyes, and he leaned down and kissed her.

"Great, now everyone's going to know how bad I got it. I'll never live down this reputation, Scully." He said teasingly. She stiffened slightly, and he began to become worried by the blank look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"We never, uh, talked about me changing my last name. I mean, I had planned to, but then what would you call me?" She said with a shy smile. He just chuckled and leaned down to kiss her again.

"That is completely your decision. I mean, I figured I'd just call you wife." He leered at her.

"Well, that does have a nice ring to it, I might be open for adjustments."

"Good, because that's how I plan to refer to you from now on."

"Really relishing in that whole 'claim on Dana Scully' thing aren't you?" She said raising an eyebrow at him as she fully turned to face him in their embrace.

"Oh absolutely, it's my favorite part of this whole married thing." He said teasingly.

"I have no idea what I just got myself into." She said sarcastically with a heavy sigh. He chuckled, and pulled her in closer. He rested his forehead on hers, and they both just enjoyed their moment of bliss.

"As much as I would love to stand here all night with you, we should probably entertain our guests." He said reluctantly pulling away from her. He grabbed her hand, and led her towards the small reception.

"So, when do you plan on dropping the last bombshell on everyone?" She asked with a mischievous grin.

"You're making me do it?" He asked horrified, stopping in their stride. She giggled at his panicked face and tried to mask her amusement by covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "You're not being very nice to your new husband." He whined at her.

"Yeah, well, he'll get over it. Especially when I make it up to him, you know, considering it is our wedding night." She said in a sultry voice.

"Scully..." He pleaded.

She chuckled at the arousal in his eyes and leaned up to kiss him. "Later." She whispered into his mouth.

They made their way back to join the intimate group, and took their seats at the head table. Halfway through eating, several of their family members and friends began to stand and make speeches. As everyone settled down again, they glanced at each other, and she just nodded at the unspoken question.

"We, uh, would like to wrap the speeches up with one of our own." Mulder said as he stood, extending his hand to Scully to stand by his side. He snaked his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his side. They smiled at each other, and he turned his attention back to the small crowd. "We just want to say thank you for being here with us this weekend. We know it was rather quick, but we are very grateful to have everyone here to celebrate this next adventure in our lives. We're also happy to have you all joined together so that we can tell you, all at once, that we are already expecting a new addition to our family." He finished, gazing down at her. She smiled at him proudly, and they embraced in a kiss. They could hear the gasps and positive sentiments mulling around the crowd, and accepted the new round of congrats.

The evening passed by in a whirlwind of bliss and happiness. When they finally made their way up to their room, Scully plopped on the bed, completely exhausted from the weekend. Mulder laid on his back directly next to her, matching her exhaustion.

"Remind me to never do that again, I'm spent." He said with his eyes closed. He could feel her glaring at him and tried to hide his smile.

"You better not plan to be doing that again, Mulder." She said with an arch to her eyebrow. He chuckled at the look on her face and rolled over to lay halfway on top of her. She squealed at the abrupt motion, and settled herself more beneath him.

"It wounds me that you think you could get rid of me that easily." He said in a deep voice. She flashed a smirk and brought her hand up to his cheek. He leaned down and enclosed his lips on hers, melding them together, passion emitting through him. "I love you."

"God...Mulder, I love you, too. This whole journey that we've been on is nothing I would have ever imagined for myself, but I wouldn't want it any other way. When you came in to my life, you flipped it completely upside down. You made me open myself up and not hide behind the persona and the walls that I've spent years building. You surprise me, every day, and I love the person that I am when I'm with you. I won't lie to you, all of this terrified me, and it's why I held back so much in the beginning. You're so intense in the way you love, and I only hope that I can allow myself to show you even a small glimpse of how much I truly love you." She said in one breath. She had been trying to find the words to relay her deepest emotions, but nothing ever sounded right in her head. She didn't want to waste this moment.

"Scully, you are this incredibly strong willed, witty, brilliant, beautiful soul that I am so lucky to have in my life, and make me a better person. You challenge me, in the best ways, and you keep me in line, as much as you can." He said lightly as she chuckled, attempting to hold back the tears in her eyes. "You speak the truth with your eyes, and I can see the love for me every day. You are amazing, and I have never questioned anything about us, or our family." He said in a hushed tone as he rested his hand on her stomach. She sniffled back tears, and smiled at his amazement. "Those were almost better than our vows, maybe we should do this again."

"Shut up, Mulder. I hope you at least think you're funny." She said with a light chuckle. "But thank you, you definitely will always have a way with words."

"Yeah, I'm hoping I'll be able to always talk my way out of whatever trouble I may find myself in. It's actually genetic, so I should probably apologize now. Did I mention how much I love your patience?"

"Great, I really didn't do my research before knowing what I got myself into." She said sarcastically.

He chuckled at the ease of their relationship, and how well they complimented each other with the witty banter. He knew, from their first meeting, that she was his other half.

He gazed down at the serene look of bliss bestowed on her face and encompassed her lips with his. She moaned at the contact into his mouth, and opened hers willingly, allowing his tongue entrance. He grazed his hands with feather soft touches up and down her sides, and she reached up to pull his head down, deepening their embrace.

They both melted into the contact, and took full advantage of the meaning of 'wedding night.' In that moment, they both couldn't imagine being anywhere else. They couldn't wait to face their next journey, together, forever.


End file.
